Minister Oskanian received Maria Kadlecikova, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization's Sub-regional Representative for Central and Eastern Europe. Ms. Kadlecikova presented her credentials to Minister Oskanian and became accredited to Armenia.

The FAO will maintain a country office at the Ministry of Agriculture in Yerevan. Ms. Kadlecikova, resident in Budapest, will also appoint a National Professional Officer to oversee local programs. In recent years, the FAO has been very instrumental in providing emergency assistance to farmers affected by frost and by draught, as well as in locust eradication. Their upcoming programs will include assistance in establishing and maintaining food standards. Armenia will be the center of a food standards project which includes Georgia and Moldova.

Minister Oskanian noted that with 40 percent of Armenia's labor force involved in agriculture, and 25 percent of Armenia's total output being agriculture related, the FAO presence in Armenia becomes very important. He acknowledged Armenia's greater involvement in the FAO following the appointment of Ambassador Zohrab Malek as Armenia's representative to the FAO. Mr. Malek had accompanied Ms. Kadlecikova.