ARMENIA CAN IMPLEMENT C WITHOUT U.S. HELP – KOCHARIAN

Interfax News Agency
March 20 2008
Russia

Armenia will implement a program developed together with the Millennium
Challenge Corporation (C)

regardless of the foundation’s stance, Armenia’s outgoing President
Robert Kocharian told a news conference in Yerevan on Thursday.

Kocharian also said that he received a letter from C CEO Ambassador
John J. Danilovich, in which Armenia was warned that the United States
could stop offering assistance to Armenia under this program.

This decision "may have other connotations, not only economic ones,"
the president said.

"Of course, we do not want the program to be stopped, we would like
for it to continue. However, if the U.S. makes such a decision,
Armenia will nevertheless continue fulfilling what was outlined. But
this will be at the expense of other organizations, particularly the
Linsy Foundation, the all-Armenian charity union Aiastan and other
donors," Kocharian said.

The outgoing president also noted that there is nothing unusual about
the fact that U.S. President George Bush has yet to congratulate
Armenian President-elect Serzh Sargsyan. "Me, personally, received
congratulations from Bush only on April 10, after the inauguration,"
Kocharian said.

"It is for someone’s congratulations that we hold elections for,
because such psychology is humiliating," Kocharian said.