Armenian Assembly of America
122 C Street, NW, Suite 350
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 16, 2004
CONTACT: Christine Kojoian
E-mail: [email protected]
AMBASSADOR EVANS CALLS FOR GREATER U.S.-ARMENIA COOPERATION
Washington, DC – U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Evans, in an interview
published in the September edition of The Advocate, the Armenian
Assembly’s official newsletter, underlined the need for greater
cooperation and a partnership in support of Armenia’s development
and said the United States wants to see Armenia succeed and prosper
in a stable and secure environment.
Ambassador Evans, a career diplomat, presented his credentials to
President Robert Kocharian on September 4 in Yerevan.
Following is the text of the Assembly interview:
Q. Your predecessor, Ambassador John Ordway, made it a priority
to expand the Embassy’s outreach to the Armenian-American Diaspora.
Do you anticipate continuing such consultations with and presentations
to our community?
A. Yes, I do. Ideally, the Armenian-American community and the U.S.
government, particularly the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan, should
be partners in a common effort to support Armenia’s development.
We all want the Republic of Armenia to succeed and to prosper in a
stable and secure environment, and we want to see the healthy growth
of democratic institutions. So a good place to start is with good
communications, and I think visits in both directions are vital.
Q. As Ambassador, what steps will you take to deepen the
U.S.-Armenia partnership in the following sectors: regional
cooperation, economic development and democracy and governance?
A. We are already doing a lot in all of these areas, and I refer your
readers to the Embassy’s website and other available documentation
in the first instance. In the long run, the very high levels of
assistance to the Republic of Armenia that have characterized the
past decade are inevitably going to decline due to the overall
decline in the FREEDOM Support Act, but we still have a robust
program of assistance. The fact that Armenia has been selected as
an eligible country for a Millennium Challenge Account grant offers
a unique opportunity that should not be missed. I should add that,
when thinking about the American contribution to Armenia, one ought
not to confine oneself to the U.S. government’s efforts. The important
private activities that are underway should also be remembered.
Q. What role can confidence-building measures play in addressing
the long-term problems of the Karabakh conflict and border closures?
What have been the impediments to date?
A. For some very good reasons, Secretary Powell has appointed a
Special Envoy, my good friend Steve Mann, to represent the United
States in the Minsk Group that is trying to bring about an eventual
settlement of the issue of Nagorno Karabakh. My role as the bilateral
U.S. Ambassador to Yerevan will be quite different from Ambassador
Mann’s and I would not like to complicate his already difficult task
by commenting on the state of the talks or on the history of the issue.
Q. Since Armenia’s independence, investment funds or bond programs
to encourage and responsibly manage Diasporan patriotic investments
have been proposed or attempted. Is there a role for the Embassy in
supporting and promoting such initiatives?
A. The U.S. has always been interested in helping Armenia develop
into a strong, market democracy and investments from outside
sources, such as the Diaspora, are often necessary to jumpstart a
transition economy. Through our assistance programs, we have supported
development of capital markets, strengthening the banking system, and
technical assistance and loans to small and medium-sized enterprises.
The U.S. has provided some operating funding to a private investment
fund to provide it the opportunity to raise capital. While raising
capital has proved to be more difficult for the fund than it might
have hoped, we will continue to work on improving the business climate
in Armenia so that investors will be more attracted to participating
in Armenia’s economy.
Q. What have you been doing to prepare for this assignment?
A. I have been consulting with what I call “Team Armenia,” that is,
the U.S. government’s experts in various executive branch departments,
as well as with representatives of non- governmental organizations,
including several Armenian-American ones. I also have started lessons
in the Armenian language, which I intend to continue studying in
Yerevan. Haiots lezun shat dezhvar e, baits geghetsik yev hetakrkir e.
Editor’s note:
Subsequent to his Q and A with The Advocate, Ambassador Evans gave
his first interview to the Armenian media in Yerevan Wednesday in
which he commended the Armenian government for its plans to join
America’s “coalition of the willing” in Iraq with a small unit of
non-combat troops.
He also said the United States approved the cancellation of NATO-led
military exercises in Azerbaijan.
“We salute Armenia for its announced intention to send a transportation
unit along with deminers and some medical personnel to Iraq,”
Ambassador Evans told a news conference.
The planned deployment, which requires parliamentary approval, remains
controversial in Armenia, with two top Armenian army generals publicly
indicating their opposition to the idea, arguing that Armenia’s largely
symbolic military engagement could trigger terrorist attacks against
Iraq’s ethnic Armenian community.
Evans said Washington welcomes a public debate on the deployment
issue in Armenia. He also reaffirmed U.S. approval of the last-minute
cancellation of NATO-led military exercises which were scheduled to
begin in Azerbaijan on Monday. The NATO leadership pointed to Baku’s
refusal to Armenia’s participation in the maneuvers as the cause for
the cancellation.
“We do believe that the NATO authorities made the right decision to
cancel this exercise,” Evans said. But he was quick to indicate that
the move should not be seen as a diplomatic victory for Armenia,
saying that it hurt both parties to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based
nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of
Armenian issues. It is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.
NR#2004-080
Photograph available on the Assembly’s Web site at the following link:
Caption: U.S. Ambassador John Evans presented his credentials to
President Robert Kocharian on September 4.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress