YEREVAN. – Nature Protection Minister Aram Harutyunyan on Wednesday received Ambassador Andrey Sorokin, Head of the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) Office in Yerevan, capital city of Armenia.

They discussed the ongoing projects and the future measures in the Armenia-OSCE cooperation on environmental issues.

The parties underscored the imperative of combining the environmental issues, business climate, and public interests. Ambassador Sorokin proposed to include experts from the OSCE Office in the public discussions on the respective bill at the National Assembly, and the minister accepted this proposal.

In addition, Harutyunyan accepted Andrey Sorokin’s proposal to have the OSCE also involved in the development of the methodology to determine the effects on the environment, and of the standards for the system of water directives.

The interlocutors also discussed the course of Armenia’s fulfillment of the Aarhus Convention requirements, and the activities of the country’s Public Environmental Information Centres.