President Serzh Sargsyan received the Head of the OSCE/ODIHR observation mission Jan Petersen

President Serzh Sargsyan received today the Head of the election observation mission of the OSCE Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) Jan Petersen, who has arrived to Armenia to monitor RA parliamentary elections which will take place on April 2. The President of Armenia underscored that Armenia attaches great importance to the activities of the observation missions at the preparation stage and during the elections in Armenia while the structures, which they represent, according to the President , are viewed in our country as long-time partners for the development of democracy and, particularly, for the improvement of the elector system and processes. “For that very reason, we study diligently and meticulously observations of the monitoring missions, their assessments and in the post-electoral processes cooperate constantly with the relevant structures, trying to call to life proposals made by the observation missions,” said the President. He noted in that context extensive political and public discussions and consensus, as well as the fact of the adoption of the RA Electoral Code which was made with the direct assistance of the Venice Commission.

The President of Armenia assured the Head of the observation mission that the Armenian authorities are ready to cooperate will all observation missions, including the OSCE/ODIHR to conduct the elections in line with international standards, and expect from them the unbiased and truthful assessment of the electoral processes going on in Armenia.

Jan Petersen thanked for inviting the OSCE/ODIHR observation mission to monitor the elections and noted that this is the eleventh time the mission has been observing elections in Armenia while adopted methodology and experience correspond to the requirements necessary for conducting a proper observation and making conclusions. The Head of the observation mission spoke with satisfaction about their cooperation with the Armenian authorities, political parties and all other partners during two weeks they have been in Armenia and informed that the observers have already been sent out and installed throughout the territory of the Republic and are ready to fulfill their mission.