YEREVAN, 20 MAY, NOYAN TAPAN. Joint actions to handle the environmental threat posed by a chemical waste dump of Nubarashen and other issues of mutual co-operation were discussed today at a meeting of the Head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan Ambassador Kapinos and the Minister of Nature Protection Aram Harutyunyan. The Ambassador Kapinos at the meeting welcomed the immediate reaction of the Government to the alert signaled by the OSCE on the acute environmental risk stemming from the Nubarashen chemical waste dump and expressed readiness to assist Armenia on the issue. The OSCE Office in Yerevan developed an emergency action plan to contain the immediate threat jointly with the Armenian Ministry of Emergency, and invited experts to make preliminary assessment of risks. The international expertise was provided by the John Vijgen from the Environment and Security Initiative, Kevin Helps from UN Food and Agritecture Organization and Wolfhart Pohl from the World Bank. At the initiative of the OSCE the international donor community is being mobilized to assist Armenia in addressing the problem. The next co-ordination meeting to this effect is hosted by the OSCE Office in Yerevan on May 21. As soon as the acute threat has been coped with, a long-term plan to dispose of the waste is to be drafted with further OSCE assistance in co-ordination with the Armenian authorities and other international actors. "We are glad to provide support in bringing about the international expertise and do believe that coordinated reaction by the government, civil society and the international community is important to assist Armenia in eliminating this kind of emergency threats.," said Ambassador Sergey Kapinos, the Head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan." The Minister briefed on the urgent steps taken by the Government of Armenia with a view of utilizing amount in 31 million drams allocated from the Government budget to mitigate the immediate risks. The Ministry of Nature Protection is tasked to organize the work at the dump site and co-ordinate state bodies’ activities. The Head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan raised a number of issues related to the current and future functioning of the Aarhus Centres in Armenia. The follow-up discussion revealed identical positions on the issues and mutual understanding on prospects to future of Aarhus movement in Armenia.

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