In March, experts from the State Audit Office of Latvia, as part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs delegation visited Yerevan, Armenia, to discuss development cooperation opportunities with state officials and representatives of international donors.
Representatives of the State Audit Office of Latvia met with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia and the Prime Minister’s Office, as well as with the Delegation of the European Union to Armenia, representatives from the embassies of the United Kingdom and France, experts from the German Development Agency (GIZ) and the French public international cooperation agency "Expertise France," Honourary Consul of Latvia and specialists from the Audit Chamber of the Republic of Armenia.
Key Priorities and Areas for Cooperation
During the meetings, officials emphasised Armenia’s ambition to integrate into the European Union, which remains one of the country’s key foreign policy priorities, highlighting the importance of international support in achieving this goal. The main areas of development focus include:
- Food safety and consumer protection
- Renewable energy development
- Cybersecurity
- Public administration reform
- Regional development
- Refugee resettlement
- Wastewater management
- Economic inclusion of women, etc.
Given that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), previously the largest development cooperation donor in Armenia, has suspended its funding, other donors acknowledged the need to reassess support priorities. The delegation of Latvia, including the State Audit Office of Latvia, expressed its willingness to participate in joint projects to support Armenia’s development.
Cooperation between the State Audit Office of Latvia and the Audit Chamber of the Republic of Armenia
During the visit, discussions were held with experts from the Audit Chamber regarding cooperation priorities for 2025. Armenian colleagues showed interest in Latvia’s experience in digital solutions, audit follow-up and international cooperation. They also shared insights into recent reforms, whereby auditors in SAI Armenia are no longer civil servants, changes have been made in auditor qualification requirements, and salaries are increased in line with average salaries in the private sector.
At the beginning of 2025, the State Audit Office of Latvia launched collaboration with the Armenia’s Supreme Audit Institution under the project “Building the Capacity of the EU's Eastern Partnership and of Uzbekistan’s Supreme Audit Institutions in the Process of Integrating the Standards of International Supreme Audit Institutions (ISSAI).” The project is funded through the Development Cooperation Policy Plan, administered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The international cooperation of the State Audit Office of Latvia:
- Leads the Working Group on Municipality Auditing of EUROSAI, a regional organisation of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI), serves on the Contact Committee, of the Cooperation Platform between the SAIs of the EU Member States and the European Court of Auditors, and acts as an auditor of international organisations;
- Ensures participation and professional input in the INTOSAI and EUROSAI International Working Groups and the INTOSAI Financial Auditing Standards Subcommittee;
- Provides development and other support to the SAIs of other countries and offers services in the international consulting market as a professional, highly qualified, and experienced consultant in the field of public sector audits.
About the State Audit Office of Latvia
The State Audit Office of the Republic of Latvia is an independent, collegial supreme audit institution. The purpose of its activity is to find out whether the actions with the financial means and property of a public entity are legal, correct, useful and in line with public interests, as well as to provide recommendations for the elimination of discovered irregularities. The State Audit Office conducts audits in accordance with International Standards of Supreme Audit Institutions of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions INTOSAI (ISSAI), whose recognition in Latvia is determined by the Auditor General. Upon discovering deficiencies, the State Audit Office of Latvia provides recommendations for their elimination, but it informs law enforcement authorities about potential infringements of the law.
Additional information
Ms Gunta Krevica
Head of PR and Internal Communication Division
Ph. 23282332 | E-mail: gunta.krevica@lrvk.gov.lv