EU EXPECTS PROPER CONDUCT OF ARMENIAN VOTE
By Ruben Meloyan

Radio Liberty, Czech Republic
Feb 6 2008

Top representatives of the European Union sounded on Wednesday
optimistic about the freedom and fairness of Armenia’s upcoming
presidential election, citing the Armenian authorities’ conduct of
last May’s parliamentary polls.

Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, whose country currently
holds the EU’s rotating presidency, and EU External Relations
Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said the issue was high on the
agenda of their meetings in Yerevan with President Robert Kocharian
and other Armenian leaders. They reiterated that a clean vote is a
necessary condition for Armenia’s successful participation in the
European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) program.

"We have found that the democratic atmosphere has progressed in the
past year," Rupel told reporters after the talks. He expressed hope
that the February 19 vote will mark an improvement over the May 2007
elections which Western observers described as largely democratic.

"This presidential election will be an opportunity to further improve
some standards even if previous elections have not been bad," he said.

Citing the opinion of a Council of Europe body dealing with legal
reform, Ferrero-Waldner said she is confident that there will be such
an improvement. "We do hope that the presidential elections will
indeed be competitive, free and fair," she said. "I think the last
elections already have shown good results."

Ferrero-Waldner added that the EU also expects Armenia to strengthen
rule of law and improve the business environment in the country in
line with other commitments stemming from its participation in the ENP.

"We are interested in holding really good elections in accordance
with international standards," President Robert Kocharian assured
the visiting EU officials earlier in the day. A statement by the
presidential press service said Kocharian also briefed them on the
current state of the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process and his governments
efforts to ensure Armenia’s energy security.

"We have an in-depth discussion and I am very happy with its results,"
Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian said for his part.