ARMENIAN LEADER AWARDS OUTGOING US ENVOY FOR EFFORTS TO EXPAND TIES

Mediamax news agency, Yerevan
6 Sep 06

Armenian President Robert Kocharyan has awarded the outgoing US
ambassador to Armenia, John Evans, the Mkhitar Gosh Medal, Mediamax
news agency reported on 6 September.

The ambassador was awarded for his "significant contribution to
the deepening and development of friendly Armenian-US relations",
the agency quoted a presidential decree as saying.

Presenting the medal to the ambassador at a farewell meeting in
Yerevan, Kocharyan said that "serious progress" had been made in
Armenian-US relations during Evans’ two-year tenure.

In turn, Ambassador Evans said that Armenia’s admittance to the
Millennium Challenge programme was the most significant achievement
in relations between the two countries, the agency said.