European Movement International (EMI) congress on “Fostering Civil Society’s role for further European integration in the Eastern Partnership countries” kicked off October 20 in Yerevan.

The congress aims at bringing together civil society actors as well as local and national public authorities from the European Union and the Eastern Partnership countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine), in order to provide a platform of exchange to discuss regional civil society activities and the sustainability of reform processes. In the long term perspective, the objective is to contribute to the democratization of the Eastern Partnership states.

During the 2-day program, participants will have the possibility to share best practices and work on a political strategy that is supposed to provide recommendations on the further development of the regional civil society dialogue.

The event was opened by the head of the European Commission Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Raul de Luzenberger. The chief of presidential staff Vigen Sargsyan, Prosperous Armenia party leader Gagik Tsarukyan as well as 150 representatives of European and South Caucasus NGOs are participating.