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Armenia’s Human Rights Defender (Ombudsperson) Kristine Grigoryan on Saturday held a meeting with the representatives of the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and President and CEO of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) Damon Wilson in Washington, her office reported.

The defender presented to the representatives of non-governmental organizations the situation of human rights in Armenia, as well as the main directions of the work of the Human Rights Defender’s Office.

Damon Wilson inquired about the ombudswoman’s opinion about the process of democratic reforms and its challenges in Armenia. The expert stressed that he was impressed by the determination of Armenia to push forward the agenda of democratic reforms, despite the fact that the country faced war and various difficulties.

In response to the interlocutors’ inquires, Kristine Grigoryan detailed the work conducted by the Human Rights Defender’s Office on humanitarian issues, the economic and political empowerment of women, the guaranteeing of the rights and the independent life of persons with disabilities, and the guaranteeing of the protection of human rights in the armed forces.

The interlocutors inquired about the challenges facing the work of the human rights defender about the directions of work, and the availability of resources of the institution.

Grigoryan noted about the high quality of cooperation with civil society organizations, including with responsible media partners in the problematic spheres.

The parties outlined specific issues which the American partners expressed their readiness to support, including within the framework of the current and newly launched programs.