On September 13 Mr. Avet Adonts, Chairman of the Standing Committee on European Integration, received Mr. Terry Toney, Regional Director of British Council for South Eastern Europe. Mr. Karen Chshmarityan and Mr. Armen Ashotyan, members of the committee, and Ms. Arevik Saribekyan, British Council Office Director in Armenia, participated in that meeting.

Mr. Adonts highly estimated the international activity of the British Council and congratulated the guests on the occasion of the five years' fruitful activity of the British Council office in Armenia. It was noted that the British Council is well known in Armenia due to the implementation of the programmes in culture and education sphere and the vigorous activity of the office. Mr. Adonts emphasized the importance of the further activity of the office in Armenia, noting that the committee is interested in the on-going programmes with the participation and the subsequent cooperation.

Mr. Terry Toney briefly presented the fields and frameworks of the activity of the organization, noting that the British Council, except the implementation of the cultural and educational programmes in Armenia, also works in the direction of the development of mutual relations of the countries of the region. The organization supports the countries, which chose the European way in the process of the Euro integration, in particular on harmonization of the legislation.

According to Mr. Karen Chshmarityan, it is necessary to expand the fields of the office activity in Armenia, as the British Council implements productive programmes in other countries also in other spheres. Mr. Ashotyan is convinced, that it is necessary to make more active the programmes implemented together with the National Assembly.

Answering Mr. Adonts’ question related to the expediency of the presence of the British Council Regional Office in Baku, Mr. Terry Toney noted that the organization should reconsider the issue, and soon the office would be moved to Tbilisi.

Other issues of bilateral interest and further cooperation were also discussed at the meeting.