President Serzh Sargsyan received delegation of the CIS monitoring mission

President Serzh Sargsyan received today delegation of the CIS monitoring mission which has arrived to Armenia to observe the April 2 parliamentary elections. The delegation is headed by the Executive Secretary of the CIS Sergei Lebedev.

The President of Armenia welcomed the guests to Armenia, expressed gratitude for the active participation in the monitoring process. President Sargsyan expressed confidence that the expert body of the CIS observers will present a balanced and unbiased final report on the elections, will voice its assessment, observations, and recommendations which will enhance a continuous improvement of the election processes in Armenia.

Serzh Sargsyan underlined once again the importance of the parliamentary elections for Armenia after the constitutional changes and noted that in order to conduct elections in full compliance with international standards a huge amount of work was carried out with the active participation and support of the civil society, political forces, partner organizations, and structures.

Armenia is making a transition to a new system of governance, and according to President Sargsyan, it is critically important that the credibility of the elections inspire confidence to the citizens of Armenia and all partners.

Head of the CIS observer mission Sergei Lebedev expressed thanks for inviting his mission to Armenia.

Sergei Lebedev underscored that a serious approach was taken for forming the observer mission which comprises 172 representatives from 8 member states. According to Sergei Lebedev, the mission, which has been in Armenia since March 14, visited all marzes and in the execution of their duties received necessary support from the Central Electoral Commission and other structures and organizations responsible for the elections. All this allowed to shape a rather comprehensive and unbiased picture regarding the entire process.

The Head of the CIS stated with satisfaction wide participation of the local observers in the elections, which is his words, is unprecedented.

The parties discussed also issues related to the development of cooperation in the framework of the CIS.