U.S. Ambassador John A. Heffern opened Friday, Nov 30, a 2-day conference on strengthening government ethical standards in the resort town of Tsaghkadzor.

The U.S. Embassy in Armenia and the Civic Education Project NGO brought together leaders from the Armenian government, civil society and European diplomatic missions to discuss ethical questions that government officials face in the course of their work.

Dr. Robert Joyce, Professor of Law from the University of North Carolina, delivered the keynote address about U.S. laws designed to separate public administration from partisan politics. The conference participants reviewed Armenian and European standards on government ethics and developed recommendations to enhance Armenian regulations and enforcement mechanisms that regulate the activity of government employees.