Armenian president discusses importance of stronger democracy at meeting with OSCE ODIHR official
YEREVAN. Nov 23 (Interfax) - Cooperation with international organizations to strengthen democratic institutions in Armenia is important, President Armen Sarkissian said at a meeting with the head of the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission, Ambassador Urszula Gacek.
Democracy does not begin and does not end on election day; it is a constantly developing process that needs to be made irreversible, Sarkissian said, according to the presidential press service.
He stressed the importance of programs and projects aimed at strengthening democratic institutions and civil society, as well as the need for cooperation with international partners, the press service said.
Gacek thanked Sarkissian for inviting the OSCE/ODIHR observer mission to the extraordinary parliamentary elections scheduled for December 9 and spoke briefly about the work of the mission. She said observers from the Parliamentary Assemblies of the OSCE and the Council of Europe will join the mission.
Over 200 observers from the mission will monitor the campaign and the vote. There will be 13 main members, as well as about 20 long-term monitors and over 200 short-term ones who will work on election day.