VISIT OF RA PRIME MINISTER TO U.S. ENDS

Noyan Tapan
Oct 25, 2007

WASHINGTON, OCTOBER 25, NOYAN TAPAN. On the last day of the visit to
U.S., on October 23, RA Prime Minister Serge Sargsian had a meeting
with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Ruben Jeffrey. Issues relating
to the current and future Armenian-American economic cooperation were
discussed during the meeting.

Immediately after the meeting, Serge Sargsian and Ruben Jeffrey
took part in the opening of the Armenian-American task force’s
sitting. In his speech the Deputy Secretary of State attached
importance to the fact of stability of Armenia’s economy and the
reduction tendencies of the rural poverty. He mentioned that the
activity of the Armenian-American task force gradually receives more
importance and includes wider range of spheres. In his response
speech S. Sargsian said that the authorities of Armenia pay great
attention to development and poverty reduction of rural areas and
do not set great hopes only on assistance of foreign states. They
undertake certain steps in that direction always keeping the rural
problems in the focus of their attention.

After the sitting of the task force, Vardan Khachatrian, the RA
Minister of Finance and Economy, and Thomas Adams, the Coordinator
of U.S. Assistance to Europe and Eurasia, signed an agreement on
cooperation in the sphere of civil aviation, in particular, in the
sphere of safe and joint operation of civil aviation.

In the midday, the RA Prime Minister gave an interview to a
correspondent of the Reuters news agency. Amswering the question about
the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide, S. Sargsian
said that this issue is painful and important for each Armenian, and
before leaving for the U.S. he had promised to the Armenian people
to personally congratulate all people, who had their contribution
in adoption of Resolution 106 at the Committee on Foreign Affairs of
U.S. House of Representatives. Making use of the occasion, through the
Reuters agency, the Prime Minister thanked all Congressmen, who voted
for the Resolution, as well as those who were against the adoption
of that decision at that moment, but admit the fact of the Genocide.

Then S. Sargsian met with U.S. State Secretary Condoleezza Rice. A
wide range of issues was touched upon at the meeting. Touching upon
the process of democratic and economic reforms being implemented
in Armenia, S. Sargsian presented the permanent efforts of the RA
authorities in that direction. He, in particular, mentioned that after
the last parliamentary elections good bases have been created for
continuing initiatives of perfection of electoral processes in Armenia.

C. Rice on behalf of the U.S. government expressed readiness to support
Armenia if necessary to solve the technical problems emerging in the
process of organization of the 2008 presidential elections.

The parties also discussed the current process of the Nagorno Karabakh
peaceful settlement, stating the importance of possible acceleration
of that process. S. Sargsian said that Azerbaijan’s growing bellicose
statements of the recent period do not promote that process at all.

In the second half of the day Prime Minister Serge Sargsian met with
members of the Board of the Armenian Assembly of America, headed by
Hrayr Hovnanian.

Issues related to organization’s activity and further programs were
discussed, thoughts on the challenges faced by Armenia today were
exchanged.

As Noyan Tapan was informed by the RA government Information and
Public Relations Department, the visit to the U.S. finished by a
reception organized in honor of the RA Prime Minister in the evening
at the RA Embassy in the U.S. High-ranking officials of the U.S. State
Department, Defence and other Ministries, high-ranking leadership of
WB and IMF took part in the reception. Heads of American Armenian
political organizations, representatives of the Armenian community
were also present.