Transparency International Defence & Security global programme has published “Corruption as Statecraft: Using Corrupt Practices as Foreign Policy Tools” report, which among other issues, addresses Armenia’s dependence on Russian gas.

The case study on Armenia is mentioned below,  the full report by Transparency International – Defence and Security, available here.

In the frameworks of a project implemented in partnership with the European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations (ENEMO) a capacity-building project for TIAC staff was launched on November 29. The trainings aim to boost the efficiency and quality of our future election monitoring efforts. The representatives of Promo-LEX Association and TIAC election team will exchange their long-term experience during the three days.

The Armenia Country Report on assessing the civil society environment in Eastern Partnership countries has been published. It presents the findings of the pilot research conducted by CSO Meter methodology to assess enabling environment for CSOs. CSO Meter is a tool developed to assess the civil society environment in Eastern Partnership countries. It consists of a set of standards and indicators in 10 different areas that measure both law and practice.

Public Service Regulation Commission (PSRC) recently circulated draft decision on Approval of Standards for Archives Stored by the Electronic Communication Service Providers. If adopted the decision would require all Internet service providers to collect and store for two years certain data of Internet service subscribers. Such data includes user identification data, i.e. full name, network login and passwords, user’s device identification data such as IMSI and IMEI, as well as Internet session records, duration, IP addresses and email address, time and date of email communication.

On October 3, 2019, the Transparency International Anticorruption Center (TIAC) presented the findings of the CSO Meter, a new tool designed to assess civil society environment. More than 60 representatives of state agencies, international and civil society organisations attended the event.

The Armenian office of Open Society Foundations – OSF-Armenia has been subjected to various types of attacks over the last seven months. For the last two weeks the so-called “Veto” initiative has impeded the regular functioning of OSF- Armenia office by blocking it, consistently using hate speech and exerting psychological pressure on the foundation’s staff and partners, along with threatening its visitors.

Within the framework of the study visit to the United Kingdom, on 16 September, the delegation of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative EITI Armenia (EITI), including  Sona Ayvazyan, Executive Director of Transparency International Anticorruption Center, was hosted by the UK Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Department (BEIS). The main purpose of the study visit is to explore the UK's leading experience in establishing a public beneficial ownership register.

September 8, 2019

Artsakh - Together with its partner “Civic Hub” NGO, Akanates” (Eyewitness) observation mission will observe local government elections in the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) on September 8, 2019.