YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 15, NOYAN TAPAN. Since 1995, the activities of the Eurasia Foundation in Armenia have been aimed at developing the civil society, local self-governance, communities and small and medium business. The legal successor of the Eurasia Foundation - the new Eurasia Cooperation Foundation will continue this work, attaching greater importance to development of local capacities and ensuring the preparation and implementation of a greater number of investment programs at the local level. The president of the Eurasia Foundation Horton Beebe-Center stated this during the November 15 meeting with the Armenian president Robert Kocharian. According to him, the Eurasia Cooperation Foundation Yerevan Office will be part of the network of local foundations in the South Caucasus. R. Kocharian welcomed the goals of the Foundation and expressed a willingness to cooperate, stressing that there is already a successful experience of cooperation and the programs implemented by the Eurasia Foundation bear evidence of it. During the meeting, in which the president of the Eurasia Cooperation Foundation George Zarubin and the Foundation's Armenian representative Gevorg Ter-Abrahamian took part, the interlocutors also spoke about the process of democratization in Armneia. Pointing out that democracy presupposes consistent, patient work and the formation of a political culture, R. Kocharian said that the purpose of the political, economic, local self-government's reforms in Armenia is to strengthen the fundamental bases of democracy.

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