On September 7, Bruce Donahue, Chargé d’affaires, a.i. of the United States Embassy in Armenia, and Aghvan Hovsepian, Prosecutor General of the Republic of Armenia, signed an agreement to amend the Letter of Agreement on Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of Armenia. This is the thirteenth amendment to the original Letter of Agreement signed in 2001, according to which the United States undertakes to provide Armenia additional justice sector assistance in the amount of approximately $2.3 million. The new agreement and commitments taken therein provide yet another strong example of the enduring, successful partnership between the United States and Armenia. The assistance provided through the new agreement will benefit the Armenian people by continuing to help the Government of Armenia more effectively fight transnational crimes such as human trafficking, the illicit international drug trade, and money laundering. It will also enhance Armenia’s rule of law by augmenting law enforcement capacities and support overall judicial and legislative reform. Some of the projects supported by the assistance include support to victims of human trafficking, improvements to the forensic laboratory of the National Bureau of Expertise, and the strengthening of the Central Bank of Armenia’s anti-money laundering capacities. In addition, the assistance supports the continued presence in Armenia of a Resident Legal Adviser from the U.S. Department of Justice, a legal socialization project carried out by the Project Harmony International NGO, and the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Rule of Law Initiative. Chargé d’affaires Bruce Donahue noted that, “The people of the United States are proud to work with their Armenian partners to build a society where every citizen can live in freedom and dignity, free from the fear of crime and confident of protection under the rule of law.” Since the signing of the original Letter of Agreement in 2001, the United States has provided over $16 million justice sector assistance to Armenia through the U.S. Embassy’s International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Section.

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