234 Ford House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515-6460
Hon. Alcee L. Hastings, Chairman
Hon. Benjamin L. Cardin, Co-Chairman
For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Lale Mamaux
202.225.1901
April 11, 2008
U.S. HELSINKI COMMISSION TO HOLD HEARING ON ARMENIA
(Washington, D.C.) Congressman Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL), Chairman of
the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki
Commission) and Co-Chairman Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), will
hold a hearing entitled, `Armenia after the Election,’ on Thursday,
April 17 at 2:00 p.m. in room B-318 of the Rayburn House Office
Building.
Since the February 19 presidential election, Armenia has experienced
its most serious political crisis in over a decade. The March 1
confrontation between the authorities and supporters of the opposition
resulted in at least eight fatalities and the imposition of a state of
emergency, causing serious damage to Armenia’s reputation. Although
Prime Minister Serzh Sarkissian has been elected President, some
opposition leaders refuse to recognize the outcome and government
opposition relations remain tense. The state of emergency has been
lifted but restrictions on freedom of assembly continue in effect.
The hearing will focus on the ramifications of these developments for
Armenia and the United States, especially the ongoing Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) negotiations on
Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia s qualifications for assistance from the
Millennium Challenge Account.
Testifying before the Commission will be:
Mr. Matthew Bryza, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European
and Eurasian Affairs
Mr. Vigen Sargsian, Assistant to the President of the Republic of Armenia
Mr. Arman Grigorian, Spokesman for former President Levon Ter-Petrossian
The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as
the Helsinki Commission, is a U.S. Government agency that monitors
progress in the implementation of the provisions of the 1975 Helsinki
Accords. The Commission consists of nine members from the United
States Senate, nine from the House of Representatives, and one member
each from the Departments of State, Defense and Commerce.
# # #
tRecords.ViewDetail&ContentRecord_id=654&C ontentType=P&ContentRecordType=P