DANIEL FRIED INDICATES U.S. WOULD NOT OBJECT TO CONSTRUCTION OF NEW NUCLEAR POWER PLANT IN ARMENIA

Armenpress
Mar 16 2006

YEREVAN, MARCH 16, ARMENPRESS: US assistant secretary of state,
Daniel Fried indicated during d a news conference in Yerevan today
before wrapping up a brief visit here that the U.S. would not object
to the Armenian government’s ambitious plans to build a new nuclear
power station in place of the Metsamor plant, which is due to be
decommissioned by 2016.

Fried said after recent explosions on the gas pipeline shipping
Russian gas to the South Caucasus the USA and Europe have been paying
a greater attention to the energy security of the region and its
energy diversification to cut its heavy dependence on Russian fuel
supplies. He said Armenia’s desire to built a new nuclear power plant
will be discussed in Washington. According to Armenian energy experts,
construction of a new plant would require at least $1 billion.

Fried also responded to a question about whether U.S. position on
recognizing the 1915 Armenian genocide has changed by saying that
president Bush describes these events in all his April 24 statements
as ‘horrible events and a tragedy.” He then denied media allegations
that US ambassador to Armenia, John Evans, would be recalled soon,
allegedly for acknowledging publicly last year that 1915 massacres
of Armenians in the Ottoman empire was genocide.

“Ambassador Evans enjoys the confidence of the State Department
and will continue to serve as US ambassador to Armenia,” he
said.. Ambassador Evans who was also present at the news conference
reiterated what he had said before, “I serve to the pleasure of US
president.” Steven Mann, the US cochairman of the OSCE Minsk group,
accompanying Fried, said Armenia and Azerbaijan were ready to move
forward to end their dispute over Karabakh and the USA was ready to
assist the process. He said the visits to Baku and Armenia were to
learn what should be done next to go on with the talks.

Daniel Fried, accompanied by Senior Advisor for Eurasia Steven Mann,
will depart for Ankara, Turkey on March 16. In Armenia, Assistant
Secretary Fried held meetings with President Robert Kocharian,
Minister of Defense Serzh Sarkisian, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Vartan Oskanian, and political leaders from the full spectrum of
local political parties. A number of issues were discussed during the
meetings, including the U.S.-Armenian bilateral relations, democracy,
and Nagorno-Karabakh.

This trip was Ambassador Fried’s second visit to Armenia since his
appointment as Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian
Affairs in May 2005.