EURASIA COOPERATION FOUNDATION YEREVAN OFFICE TO OPERATE OFFICIALLY STARTING FROM FEBRUARY 1

Noyan Tapan
Nov 15, 2007

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 15, NOYAN TAPAN. Starting from February 1, 2008,
the Yerevan Office of the Eurasia Cooperation Foundation (ECF),
which is the legal successor of the Eurasia Foundation in the South
Caucasus, will operate officially. The ECF also has registered offices
in Georgia and Azerbaijan. The president of the Eurasia Foundation
Horton Beebe-Center said at the November 15 press conference that
since 1992, the Foundation has implemented programs of over 30 million
dollars in Armenia.

According to the head of the ECF Armenian Representative Office Gevorg
Ter-Gabrielian, the ECF will continue to operate as a financing and
program implementing organization. In particular, it will implement
programs aimed at improving the business environment and promoting the
regional cooperation. Among the regional program is, particularly,
"Armenia-Turkey Regional Dialog and Cooperation" program aimed at
developing the capacities of the governmental, NGO and business
circles of the two countries.

The US charge d’affaires in Armenia Joseph Pennington said that the
Eurasia Foundation has played a great role in developing the civil
society and regional dialog in the South Caucasus. In his words, the
creation of the new foundation should expand these efforts, ensuring
the preparation and implementation of a greater number of investment
programs at the local level. It was stated that since 1992, with the
assistance of the USAID and other donors, the Eurasia Foundation has
invested about 70 million dollars in the South Caucasus and implemented
more than 1,700 grant and technical assistance programs.