U.S. EXPECTS UPCOMING ARMENIAN ELECTIONS TO BE FREE, FAIR

NewsBlaze, CA
April 4 2006

The United States expects Armenia’s parliamentary and presidential
elections in 2007 and 2008 to meet international standards for free
and fair elections, the State Department’s Daniel Fried said in a
speech in Washington March 27.

Fried, the assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian
affairs, said the Bush administration views the elections as “key
tests” of whether Armenia is meeting its commitments under the terms
of the Millennium Challenge Compact it signed March 27.

A Millennium Challenge Compact is a bilateral aid agreement with the
United States that involves a commitment on the part of the recipient
country to encourage economic freedom, rule justly and invest in
its people.