The idea of organising a joined Symposium of Analytical Chemistry, later named ARGUS ( Analytical Russian German Ukrainian Symposium ) was created in 1990 by the two Chemists Professor Josif G. Yudelevich and Dr. Dahmen. Professor Josif G. Yudelevich is head of the Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry at the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry of the Siberian branch of Russian Academy of Sciences in Novosibirsk-Akademgorodok.  Dr. Joachim Dahmen, head of  elemental analytical labs of the Central Analytical Laboratories (AZL) of MERCK company Darmstadt in Germany. Both met each other the first time at the XXVI CSI - Colloquium Spectroscopicum Internationale in Sofia (Bulgaria) where they participated as invited speakers and immediately felt as friends.
 

Two years later in 1992, ARGUS was organized the first time by Prof. Yudelevich and his co-workers at the Academy of Sciences in Novosibirsk-Akademgorodok. The main goal of ARGUS is to provide a platform for Russian, German and (later) Ukrainian scientists dealing with analytical Chemistry. This platform should give possibilities to meet colleagues from Western Europe - mainly from Germany – and to find partners and opportunities for scientific and commercial cooperation, which was possible since the cold war ended and a new political and economic situation of the states of the former Soviet Union had started. Furthermore it is the aim of the symposium to learn from each other about scientific activities and mutual skills, to discuss and to solve analytical problems and establish new relationships and fruitful scientific cooperations. ARGUS does not focus on one particular topic within the whole field of Analytical Chemistry, but should inspire the participants and activate scientific creativity by during presentations and discussions. The first Siberian symposium was very successful with this respect, so that the organizers together with several of the first participants decided to continue the meeting alternately in Germany, Russia and Ukraine.
 

The next ARGUS took place 1993 in Hirschegg (Germany), organized by Dr. Peter Hoffmann and Professor Hugo Ortner from Darmstadt Technical University, School of Material and Geosciences, Dept. of Analytical Chemistry. It was followed 1994 by the symposium in Sumy-Klementovo (Ukraine), organized by Professor V. E. Storizhko, Institute of Applied Physics, Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. The next meeting took place 1996 in Sofrino, Moscow District (Russia) and was organized by Prof. Svetlana Grazhulene, head of the Department of Analytical Chemistry at the Institute of Microelectronics Technology and High Purity Materials of RAS in Chernogolovka. In 1997 Dr. H. M. Kuss, Department of Chemistry at Duisburg University (Germany) organized the meeting in Duesseldorf.Odessa (Ukraine) was place of the ARGUS in 1999 and was organized by Prof. Valery P.Antonovich and Dr. Alexander N. Zacharia from the A. V. Bogatsky  Physico Chemical Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of the Ukraine.  The last - but - not – least Symposium ARGUS 2001was hosted by Russia again, in the most wonderful area of Sibira at the famous Lake Baikal in Baikalsk. Dr. E. Grosheva, director of the Albert Beim Institute of Ecological Toxicology of Russian Federation, Irkutsk region, organized this meeting.
 

The next ARGUS will be held 2003 in Geesthacht (Germany), which is close to Hamburg. It will be organized by Prof. B. Neidhart, head of the Institute for Physical and Chemical Analyses of GKSS Costal Research Center.
 

The idea of the ARGUS symposium is forwarded mostly by the enthusiasm and idealism of the organizers and its participants and their own budget and partly by sponsoring of public authorities and private companies.