US SECRETARY OF STATE RECEIVES VISITING ARMENIAN PREMIER

Public TV
Oct 24 2007
Armenia

[Presenter] The opening of the Armenian-Turkish border will contribute
not only to the Armenian-Turkish relations but also to the regional
cooperation, the US secretary of state said at the meeting with
Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan in Washington.

Condoleezza Rice also said that her country will provide technical
assistance to Armenia in the 2008 presidential election. Afterwards
Serzh Sargsyan met the US Deputy Secretary of State on economic issues
and took part in the session of the US-Armenian intergovernmental
economic cooperation council. Artak Aleksanyan will report details
on the last day of the Armenian prime minister’s visit to the USA.

[Correspondent speaking over video the meeting] Armenian Prime Minister
Serzh Sargsyan wrapped up his visit to the USA after a meeting with US
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The sides discussed Armenian-US
political and military cooperation, and possible perspectives of
deepening and extending them. Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Arman
Kirakosyan, who was present at the private meeting, says that Rice
asked about the current stage of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict
settlement and Armenia’s stance.

[Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Arman Kirakosyan speaking] Prime
Minister Serzh Sargsyan answered at this point that we want to settle
the issue in a peaceful way and only that way and the format of the
OSCE Minsk Group can lead to the settlement of the issue.

[Correspondent] During the conversation Serzh Sargsyan and Rice
touched upon the Armenian-Turkish relations. Rice said that the
opening of the Armenian-Turkish border will contribute not only to
the Armenian-Turkish relations but also to the regional cooperation.

The officials also discussed deepening of bilateral cooperation in
the security sphere. Before meeting Rice, the prime minister met
US Deputy Secretary of State on [Economic Issues] Ruben Jeffrey and
attended a session of the Armenian-US working group with the deputy
secretary of state.

[Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Arman Kirakosyan] Starting from
2000 we have bi-annual sessions of the Armenian-US group. This was
the first time when the prime minister opened the session. This means
that Armenian government attaches importance to these meetings, to the
work of the intergovernmental committee and the Armenian-US relations.

[Correspondent] In the session of the Armenian-US working group,
Jeffrey attached importance to the economic stability in our country
and a tendency to decrease poverty in rural areas. In his turn, the
prime minister said that the government’s top priority is to decrease
poverty in rural areas and support land owners for which both US funds
and all other possible resources are used. During this session [US
State Secretariat Coordinator for Aid to Eurasia and Europe Thomas
Adams] and Armenian Economy Minister Vardan Khachatryan signed an
aviation agreement, which will provide an opportunity to cooperate
in securing and holding joint operations in the sphere of the civil
aviation.

[Arman Kirakosyan] We will also soon sign a big framework agreement
on aviation cooperation and this one [the agreement] was its part,
which related to the implementation of securing flights.