Challenges
Armenian justice institutions are still struggling to overcome the legal legacies of the Soviet times. Organized crime and corruption are persistent problems. Ongoing cross-border tensions with some of its neighbors impedes more effective sub-regional cooperation, critical given the flow of drugs, contraband and other criminal activities in the southern Caucasus.
U.S. Law Enforcement Goals
Armenia is located at one of the world’s major crossroads of conflict, an area where the interests of neighboring Russia, Iran and Turkey, as well as other outside powers, have frequently clashed. In the first decade of its independence, Armenia faced the challenges of economic reform and democratization even as it engaged in a bitter territorial conflict with Azerbaijan. Now in its second decade as an independent nation, Armenia seeks more and better economic and political integration with European and Euro-Atlantic institutions. Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) programs have assisted the Government of Armenia (GOAM) implement legislation to track, freeze and seize terrorist assets and have expanded law enforcement assistance and cooperation and laid the groundwork for anti-drug and anti-crime legislation, with a focus on trafficking in persons.The Office of Electronic Information, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department. External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.