U. S. Department of State
18 June 2004

OSCE a Champion of Media Freedom in Armenia, U.S. Says
Remarks by Charge d’Affaires Douglas Davidson to OSCE Permanent Council

The OSCE Office in Yerevan, under the leadership of Ambassador Vladimir
Pryakhin, has demonstrated an “outstanding commitment” to promoting OSCE
principles in Armenia, U.S. Charge d’Affaires Douglas Davidson told the OSCE
Permanent Council in Vienna, Austria, June 18.

Pryakhin has “rightly raised concerns with the authorities over violence and
harassment against journalists, as well as the loss of licenses of two
independent broadcasters,” Davidson said, adding that the United States has
raised both issues in bilateral discussions with Armenia.

Other issues that the OSCE Office in Yerevan has dealt with effectively,
Davidson noted, include freedom of assembly, monitoring alleged human rights
abuses, and fostering political dialogue between the government and the
opposition. He spoke after a presentation by Ambassador Pryakhin.

Following are Davidson’s remarks:

(begin text)

United States Mission to the OSCE
Vienna

RESPONSE TO THE REPORT BY OSCE HEAD OF OFFICE IN YEREVAN VLADIMIR PRYAKHIN

As delivered by Charge d’Affaires Douglas Davidson to the Permanent Council
June 18, 2004

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

The United States is pleased to welcome Ambassador Pryakhin back to the
Permanent Council and we thank him highly for his comprehensive report on
the activities of the OSCE Office in Yerevan.

In less than a year since taking on the Head of Office position, Ambassador
Pryakhin has quickly and energetically engaged on a number of issues that
are important to the OSCE. We commend him and his staff for their
outstanding commitment to promoting OSCE principles.

There are, Mr. Chairman, too many areas in which the Office is carrying out
meaningful work for me to list them all or discuss them here. I would
however, like to take particular note of, and commend the Ambassador and his
staff for, the following particular items:

To begin, let me say that Ambassador Pryakhin has been a champion of media
freedom. He has rightly raised concerns with the authorities over violence
and harassment against journalists, as well as the loss of licenses of two
independent broadcasters. These are issues the United States has also raised
both bilaterally and here in the Permanent Council. His continuing
monitoring of media freedom and his coordination with the Special
Representative on Freedom of the Media demonstrates Ambassador Pryakhin’s
commitment and that of his Mission staff to OSCE principles in this area.

Ambassador Pryakhin is to be commended for playing a constructive and
neutral role in encouraging dialogue to resolve the political impasse
between the government and the opposition parties. It is our hope that all
parties will resume a dialogue soon.

The Office’s engagement on the issue of freedom of assembly has been
significant. We welcomed the National Assembly’s passage in April of the new
law on public gatherings, which was drafted at the suggestion of, and with
input from, the OSCE Office in Yerevan. While the law’s passage is a
positive step, we now urge the Armenian authorities to heed the Office’s
recommendations to revise the language in order to bring it fully in line
with OSCE standards.

The United States is pleased to see the Office is continuing to conduct
activities in the area of police assistance and judicial reform, which are
key to strengthening democratic institutions and respect for human rights.
The United States provides substantial bilateral assistance in these areas,
thus reinforcing the efforts of the Office.

We also appreciate the OSCE Office’s record on receiving and conveying
complaints on alleged human rights abuses. In his report, Ambassador
Pryakhin has noted the establishment earlier this year of an Ombudsman’s
office in Armenia. We very much hope that this institution will now take on
the role of receiving and handling human rights complaints.

We also appreciate the OSCE Office’s ongoing assistance to the Armenian
government towards the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution
1373, as well as other international counter-terrorism agreements.

In sum, Mr. Chairman, the United States wished to congratulate Ambassador
Pryakhin and his staff for the fine work they are doing in all three OSCE
dimensions. We wish him well as he continues to face a wide array of
challenges. We would like to say to the Ambassador and his staff, please
keep up the good work!

I thank you very much.

(end text)

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: )