ARMENIA SCORING SUCCESS IN FULFILLING ORHUS CONVENTION

ARKA
June 18
YEREVAN

Chief of the OSCE Yerevan Office, Ambassador Sergey Kapinos says
Armenia has recorded success in fulfilling the provisions of the Orhus
Convention. "The central idea of this document is public involvement
in solution of environmental problems which is successfully carried
out by Armenia," Kapinos said at a conference dedicated to discussion
of Armenia’s fulfilment of the Orhus Convention.

According to him, it is with the help of the seminars and discussions
that people usually get involved in the solution of environmental
problems. Such events reveal the most urgent problems of the
region. "People must both participate in such discussions and suggest
ways of solution. They must also get involved in decision-making
processes," he said.

However, Kapinos said, the steps that Armenia has taken so far, are
not sufficient to combat the existing problems. Though Armenia has
scored a certain success here, the problems still exist, moreover,
they are tending to grow," the Ambassador said.

The UN European Economic Commission’s convention on information
availability, public involvement in decision-making processes and
access to justice in environmental issues is widely known as the
Orhus convention. It was signed by 38 countries on June 25, 1998.