YEREVAN, JUNE 30, ARMENPRESS. Armenian President Armen Sarkissian met with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Washington D.C..
U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills told Voice of America that during the meeting the officials discussed increasing the trade and investments with the U.S., as well as the Smithsonian festival. He said the Armenian President shared his vision on Armenia’s new era with the Secretary of State.
Asked why the top U.S. official holds his first meeting with President Sarkissian after the “velvet revolution”, in case when Yerevan’s foreign policy, according to the Constitution, is being carried out by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government, the U.S. Ambassador said: “I think it’s right for the leader of the country to have an opportunity to meet with the Secretary of State. I know that the Secretary of State wished to hear what had happened in Armenia and to talk about how the United States can assist Armenia. In particular, I think the talk was about the trade and investments, which, as I understand, the president was asked to deal with in his constitutional role, that is to find foreign investments and work with the Diaspora”.
Ambassador Richard Mills said the United States is ready to assist the new Armenian government to find new investments. According to him, the government already conducts the main work in this field, by fighting corruption in the country and creating fair field for all businessmen.
“Over the past three years I have repeatedly heard from the U.S. and also from Armenian businessmen that the main obstacle for entrepreneurship development in the country is the absence of fair rules of the game in Armenia, and that the system was providing privileges to some persons”.
According to the Ambassador, the new Armenian government’s tough fight against corruption gives strong and positive signal to businessmen, but lasting changes require ensuring the power of the laws and the structures maintaining them. In this regard Ambassador Mills attached importance to holding free and transparent parliamentary elections in Armenia.
Commenting on the “velvet revolution” that took place in Armenia in spring 2018, the Ambassador said the most important was that it was the independent decision of the Armenian people.
“It was Armenians who came out to the street demanding more transparent and fair society. That peaceful demand was very impressive. I want to state that this was completely the step of the Armenian people. I think it became possible also because the voices, that supported transparency and accountability, have developed and strengthened as a result of the U.S.-Armenia cooperation of the past 20 years”.
Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan