Members of the initiative group of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum National Platform of Armenia issued a statement.

"We, the undersigned,
- adhere to our statement made on October 21, 2010,

- share the assessment and suggestions made in the announcements by some organizations of CSF Armenian National Platform on November 4, 2010 and CSF coordination council members Abgar Yeghoyan and Boris Navasardyan on December 17, 2010.

- We consider the implementation of Eastern Partnership projects and the enhancement of the role of the civil society in this process as the most significant issue.

- We re-assure our determination to promote the establishment of CSF Armenian National Platform on strong institutional bases.

- We highly value the ANP expansion in accordance with Eastern Partnership CSF priorities.

- We claim that since September 16, 2010 the coordinating council of Armenian National Platform of Eastern Partnership CSF has taken a number of groundless decisions which are out of authority of the council and do not correspond to regulations of the Armenian National Platform.

- We consider such decisions made by the coordinating council of European Partnership Civil Society Foundation of Armenian National Platform and the fact that some of the ANP coordination council members quitted.

- We voice our disagreement on the national platform replenishment process carried out via the violation of regulations of ANP coordinating council.

- The fact that certain members of coordinating council of Civil Society Foundation of Armenian National Platform have violated a number of arrangements to overcome crisis has led them to making the efficient partnership within the framework of Armenian National Platform impossible.

- We consider that the activities carried out by the influential authorities of CSF ANP are non-constructive and create an unhealthy atmosphere in the Platform and impede the ANP establishment.

- We are informed that during the preparatory phase of the general meeting, the coordinating council members of European Partnership Civil Society Foundation of Armenian National Platform put the invited organizations to confusion.

- We are aware and agree with the disposition of numerous ANP member organizations, particularly, with the suggestion, according to which, the ANP general meeting should have been convened by the committee comprised of CS 1st and 2nd conference participants, because CSF Armenian National Platform was formed via their efforts and Armenian Civil Society was successfully presented during the CS 2nd conference.

We promulgate that

1. We do not approve of the faulty competence of the Armenian National Platform coordinating council and distrusted ANP staff to convene a general meeting and to carry out ANP replenishment.

2. We do not accept the decisions taken under the name of ANP general meeting on December 25, 2010

3. We state with regret that Armenian NGO Sector failed to build a CSF national platform on strong institutional bases at this phase.

4. We consider the only way out from the current situation is to cease any election, creation of a coordinating council and exercising jurisdiction, the formal procedures of membership and replenishment within the frames of the national platform.

5. It is essential that we shift the emphasis on organizing discussions and other events targeted at attaining Eastern Partnership goals whose initiators can be any organizations of Armenian Civil Society and their associations.

6. We re-emphasize the special obligations of the CS 1st and 2nd conference participants to carry out efficient and purposeful activities in the field of Armenian CSOs.

Hripsime Kirakosyan, Mission Armenia NGO
Stepan Grigoryan, Analytical Centre on Globalization and Regional Cooperation
Gevorg Ter-Gabrielyan, Eurasia Partnership Foundation
Boris Navasardyan, Yerevan Press Club
Sona Ayvazyan, Transparency International Anti-corruption Center
Levon Barseghyan, "Asparez" Journalists' Club NGO
Nouneh Sargsyan, "Internews" Media Support NGO
Avetik Ishkhanyan, Helsinki Committee of Armenia
Karen Nazaryan, Armenia Inter-Church Charitable Round Table Foundation of the World Council of Churches
Artur Sakunts, Helsinki Citizens' Assembly Vanadzor Office
Svetlana Aslanyan, Center for Civil Society Development

We are in profound grief and sorrow for the untimely demise of our dear colleague Abgar Eghoyan: a renowned public activist, the president of Protection of Consumers' Rights NGO, the CSF Armenian national coordinator. We express our sincere condolences and sympathy to his family and relatives.