The delegation of the RA anti-corruption committee headed by Sasun Khachatryan, the Chairman of the committee, from December 14 to 15 was on a two-day working visit to Vienna, the capital of the Republic of Austria. The working visit, organized with the support and financing of the OSCE, was aimed at studying the activities and the best practices of the Austrian anti-corruption body-the Federal Bureau of Anti-Corruption.
In Vienna, the Armenian delegation met with the director of the Austrian Federal Bureau of Anti-Corruption, Otto Kerbl, and the management staff of the organization. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Armenia to Austria, Head of the Mission of the Republic of Armenia to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Armen Papikyan was also present at the meeting.
During the meeting, the director of the Federal Bureau of Anti-Corruption presented the main directions of the Austrian anti-corruption body's activity, referring in particular to the specifics of operative and investigative activities and especially to the fact that the Bureau has a separate division for digital examinations, which makes investigative activities more efficient and operative. The measures taken in the direction of the prevention of corruption and the educational programs implemented within their framework, aimed at raising public awareness of the fight against corruption, were also presented.
The chairman of the RA anti-corruption committee, in his turn, presented the activities of the newly created structure, which has been operating since October last year, the achievements recorded during the year and the main challenges faced by the anti-corruption body. During the meeting, the parties agreed to exchange skills and experience in the effective use of operational resources, as well as in the use of effective technologies of digital examinations and investigative methods. The need to use innovative information technologies during operational activities was especially emphasized. The Chairman of the Committee also considered the possibility of introducing the positive experience of the implementation of digital examinations in the investigative body in the RA anti-corruption committee.
Within the framework of the visit, a meeting was also organized with the OSCE Coordinator for Economic and Environmental Affairs, Ambassador Igli Hasani, his deputy Lorenzo Rilasciati, and the coordinator of anti-corruption programs Andrei Muntean.
The latter expressed their satisfaction with the activities of the RA Anti-Corruption Committee, noting that they consider the establishment of such a structure in Armenia to be a successful example and are sure that over time it will record notable successes in the fight against corruption, proving the effectiveness of its activities. The parties mutually emphasized the expansion of the bilateral agenda and the development of cooperation within the framework of the planned programs.
Thanking the OSCE leadership for continuous support in the fight against corruption in Armenia Sasun Khachatryan also expressed confidence that the already existing close cooperation will continue with the same willingness and initiation of new programs.
