Training course on freedom of information for freedom of information officers of state bodies

Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia jointly with the OSCE Office in Yerevan organised a training course for freedom of information officers of state bodies entitled "Freedom of information as a tool for promoting the transparency of state bodies and integrity of state officials" from 27 to 28 April. Deputy Minister of Justice of the Republic of Armenia Suren Krmoyan and Democratization Programme Officer at the OSCE Office in Yerevan David Gullette attended the training course.

Deputy Minister of Justice of the Republic of Armenia Suren Krmoyan noted that the implementation of freedom of information tool in state bodies is highly important in terms of making the activities more efficient. Deputy Minister added that while studying the problems of our neighbouring country — Azerbaijan — related to freedom of information, freedom of media, he came to the conclusion that in this regard Armenia has surpassed the neighbouring country, which indicates that Armenia has taken a democratic path. According to the Deputy Minister, it is necessary to work in an open, transparent manner, improve legislation on freedom of information and law enforcement practice so that the citizen of the Republic of Armenia receives the information he or she needs when turning to any state body.

Democratization Programme Officer at the OSCE Office in Yerevan David Gullette noted in his speech that it is a great honour for the OSCE Office in Yerevan to assist in the organisation of the event, adding that freedom of information is of great importance. David Gullette emphasised that freedom of information helps journalists to provide high-quality information to the public. According to him, the access to information at the disposal of state bodies is of great importance for the protection of human rights. In this context, Democratization Programme Officer at the OSCE Office in Yerevan attached importance to co-operation with the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia.

The participants of the course discussed the legal framework for freedom, objects and subjects for the provision of information, ways of receiving and provision thereof, grounds for refusal and appeal. Freedom of information as a tool for ensuring accountability and transparency and reducing corruption risks in the state administration system, obligations of state bodies as a guarantee for the exercise of rights to freedom of information were also discussed.