Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received Open Government Partnership Initiative Chief Executive Officer Sanjay Pradhan.

Welcoming Mr. Pradhan to our country, the Prime Minister highlighted today’s OGP-Armenia Working Group meeting, which discussed the implementation of the Fourth Open Government Partnership Initiative Action Plan for Armenia.

“The Government of Armenia prioritizes the membership to the Open Government Partnership Initiative, the principles of which are fully consistent with our government’s priorities, such as accountability, transparency, rule of law and human rights. We are interested in continuing our fruitful partnership,” the Premier said, noting that ever since the Velvet Revolution Armenia has been strengthening its democratic institutions, and the new Cabinet has already approved the strategies for the fight against corruption and judicial reform.

Sanjay Pradhan noted that Armenia plays a key role in the OGP among the 79 countries of the Initiative as a country that has recorded impressive democratic progress. “The Velvet Revolution was a strong signal of inspiration and hope coming from the Armenian citizens: it reflected the citizens’ will to bring about a change in the country. The Open Government can really promote the future success of Armenia’s democracy, and we are ready to assist you in that process,” the OGP CEO said. Pleased with the outcome of today’s meeting, he pointed out that our country is exemplary in terms of its compliance with the OGP commitments, which is a good basis for expanding the scope of Armenia’s commitments in the next action plan.

With reference to the future joint actions, Sanjay Pradhan came up with a number of proposals regarding the reforms aimed at raising the level of public trust in the government and expressed readiness to support the ongoing judicial, anticorruption, economic reforms, as well as to promote civil society’s active participation in this process.

The meeting was attended by Chief of Prime Minister’s Staff Eduard Aghajanyan, who gave details of today’s discussion, stressing that Armenia has fulfilled the commitments assumed as part of the Fourth Open Government Partnership Initiative Action Plan, and that fruitful cooperation is underway, which is crucial for successful reforms.

Nikol Pashinyan thanked the OGP CEO for appreciation and went on to assure that the Armenian government is committed to continued efforts aimed at open, accountable and transparent governance. In conclusion, the interlocutors exchanged views on the next OGP-Armenia action plan.