U.S. GOVERNMENT TO PROVIDE $2.3 MILLION ASSISTANCE TO ARMENIA TO SUPPORT JUSTICE SECTOR REFORMS
ARKA
September 16, 2009
Yerevan
YEREVAN, September 16, /ARKA/. U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Marie L.
Yovanovitch and Armenian Prosecutor General Aghvan Hovsepyan signed
today two Protocols on the amendment to the Letter of Agreement on
Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement between the Government of the
United States of America and the Government of Armenia.
These are the ninth and tenth amendments to the Letter of Agreement,
and under them the U.S. Government will provide additional assistance
to the Government of Armenia in the amount of $2,286,050 for several
assistance programs.
These funds will support a number of Armenian institutions and
bilateral projects: the forensic laboratory of the National Academy of
Sciences’ National Bureau of Expertises, the Central Bank’s Financial
Monitoring Center, a Resident Legal Adviser from the U.S. Department of
Justice, a legal socialization project carried out by the NGO Project
Harmony, the American Bar Association’s Rule of Law Initiative,
assistance for victims of human trafficking, and development of law
enforcement academies in Armenia.
Prosecutor General Aghvan Hovsepyan commended the U.S. government
for supporting justice sector reforms in Armenia saying thanks to
this assistance Armenian authorities have improved radically the
operation of some agencies. He said the forensic laboratory of the
National Bureau of20Expertises, established with the U.S. government
assistance conducts 23 types of high level expertise.
Since the signing of the original Letter of Agreement on June 11,
2001, the United States has provided over twelve million dollars of
justice sector assistance to the Government of Armenia through the
Embassy’s International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Section. M.M.