NEW US ENVOY PRAISES ARMENIA’S EFFORTS TO IMPROVE TIES WITH TURKEY
Armenian Public TV
October 2, 2008 Thursday
[Presenter] The newly-appointed US ambassador to Armenia, Marie
Yovanovich, held her first news conference for the Armenian media
today. Yovanovich spoke very warmly about Armenian hospitality and
shared her first impressions with journalists. Ambassador Yovanovich
covered all the issues on the political agenda and also spoke about
the meeting between the Armenian and Turkish presidents [in Yerevan
on 6 September].
[Ambassador Marie Yovanovich, addressing the news conference in
English, with overlaid translation into Armenian] I think it was a
historic moment; [Armenian] President [Serzh] Sargsyan’s move was
a courageous initiative that was accepted by [Turkish President]
Abdullah Gul. This initiative tends to reform the region and opens up
new opportunities for normalizing diplomatic relations. We also hope
for the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict settlement. I assure you that the
United States will do whatever possible to bolster those developments.