YEREVAN, APRIL 7, NOYAN TAPAN. The 2-day international conference "The Role of the RA National Assembly- Civil Society Cooperation in Fight against Corruption" finished its work on April 7. In their concluding statements, the conference participants stated once again that corruption is a major obstacle to Armenia's sustainable development and promotion of democratic reforms. The newly established Armenian national body of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC) also made a statement. The body includes a representative of each NA group and faction, except the Republican Party of Armenia and the opposition faction Justice with their large membership, which will have two representatives. According to the statement, the creation of such a multiparty structure "will allow to form a common political will and reach an agreement on creation and development of mechanisms of fight against corruption in those spheres that are under the jurisdiction of the parliament." Director of the OSCE Armenia Office Vladimir Pryakhin welcomed some proposals of the conference participants, including the idea of setting up a social council on coordination of the fight against corruption. According to him, the implementation of the anticorruption strategical program, which was adopted by the RA government in 2003, will finish in 2006, and an international working group will soon summarize the results and develop, jointly with Armenian authorities, a list of proposals to be put in practice in the future.

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