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PRIME MINISTER SERGE SARGSYAN ENDS HIS VISIT TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Armen Tsatouryan
Hayots Ashkharh Daily
Oct 26 2007
Armenia
AMERICAN REVIEW
Concluded with the October 23 meetings held in Washington, Prime
Minister Serge Sargsyan's one-week visit to the United States
is unprecedented in the 16-year history of the newly-independent
Armenia in terms of its extensive schedule, high level of contacts
as well as the intensiveness of the negotiations and the results
attained. This is the first time in the rich chronology of the
two countries' relations that the United States held a high-level
reception for a person who, apart from being the Prime Minister of
Armenia, is the chief pretender to the post of the country's leader
in the upcoming presidential elections. While drafting the agenda of
Serge Sargsyan's visit, the American authorities envisaged various
meetings and negotiations with almost all the representatives of the
country's political and economic elite. The Armenian Prime Minister
had the opportunity to communicate not only with the country's
political leadership, but also with the leaders of the spheres
of defense and security, foreign affairs, economy and finance,
foreign assistance programs and international financial structures,
as well as the representatives of the American influential Mass Media
and American-Armenian communities. This factor more than clearly
demonstrates that none of the responsible representatives of the
US Government and relevant spheres, who scheduled multilateral and
meaningful meetings for Serge Sargsyan and his delegation, previously
had any doubt as to the personality of the Armenian presidential
candidate with whom the American Government is going to work. So,
by having a meeting with Serge Sargsyan, each of them had a goal to
familiarize himself/herself with the approaches of Armenia's future
leader towards the issues related to the given sphere, with the purpose
of synthesizing them with their own programs. It is also natural that
negotiations emanating from such a starting point were mainly expected
to touch upon the problems related to the future and the prospects,
rather than the past way or the current stage of the Armenian-American
relations. The prospect of the Armenian-American mutual cooperation in
the field of defense and security were discussed with Robert Gates,
the US Secretary of Defense, in a meeting held October 18. The Prime
Minister's October 18 meeting with John Danilovich, Head of the
"Millennium Challenges" Corporation and the October 23 negotiations
with Ruben Jeffery, US Under-Secretary of State on Economic Affairs
were devoted to the prospects of the Armenian-American economic
cooperation and in that context - the discussion of the issue of the
assistance to be provided to Armenia under the "Millennium Challenges"
program. The foreign policy issues and first of all, the prospects
of the settlement of the Karabakh conflict were discussed during the
meeting with the US State Secretary Condoleezza Rice. These issues, as
well as the process of the democratic reforms taking place in Armenia
had been previously discussed on a higher level, during the October
18 negotiations with the US Vice President Dick Chaney. During the
meeting with the American legislators, especially the two leaders
of the Democratic majority of Congress, the Prime Minister had
the opportunity introduce Armenia's official attitudes towards the
international recognition of the Armenian Genocide and the future of
the Armenian-Turkish relations. The Prime Minister's meetings with the
influential activists of the Armenian community and organizations in
Washington and Los Angeles were also eventful. Of special importance
was the meeting with the great benefactor Kyrk Kyrkoryan who expressed
a desire to visit Armenia in the near future. Serge Sargsyan's
US visit became a proper occasion for taking new steps towards
strengthening Armenia's ties and cooperation with more influential
international financial organizations which, as we know, have their
central offices in the United States. In this respect, of special
importance were the October 21 meetings with Dominic Straus-Canny,
Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund and Grim Willer
and Shiger Kassu, Managing Director and Vice Director of the World
Bank respectively. S. Sargsyan's visit to America found a response in
the American press and other media as well as inside the influential
Armenian community of the United States. During the interviews and
speeches the Prime Minister introduced himself to the American society
and the American Armenian community as an activist having a profound
knowledge of the external and internal challenges faced by Armenia and
convinced of the implementation of the reforms which are necessary
for our country in the globalizing world of the 21st century. Thus,
the Prime Minister's one-week visit to the United States became
the specific pre-electoral review of the clarified prospects of
bilateral cooperation. It gave the American side the opportunity to
have a profound and total understanding of the principal goals and
programs of the chief presidential candidate of Armenia, as well as
clarify the United States attitudes towards them. Organizing such a
high-level meeting and attaching importance to the agreements achieved
as a result of the multilateral and meaningful negotiations with the
Prime Minister, the American side definitely clarified its political
preferences with regard to the presidential elections to be held in
Armenia in the near future.
Armen Tsatouryan
Hayots Ashkharh Daily
Oct 26 2007
Armenia
AMERICAN REVIEW
Concluded with the October 23 meetings held in Washington, Prime
Minister Serge Sargsyan's one-week visit to the United States
is unprecedented in the 16-year history of the newly-independent
Armenia in terms of its extensive schedule, high level of contacts
as well as the intensiveness of the negotiations and the results
attained. This is the first time in the rich chronology of the
two countries' relations that the United States held a high-level
reception for a person who, apart from being the Prime Minister of
Armenia, is the chief pretender to the post of the country's leader
in the upcoming presidential elections. While drafting the agenda of
Serge Sargsyan's visit, the American authorities envisaged various
meetings and negotiations with almost all the representatives of the
country's political and economic elite. The Armenian Prime Minister
had the opportunity to communicate not only with the country's
political leadership, but also with the leaders of the spheres
of defense and security, foreign affairs, economy and finance,
foreign assistance programs and international financial structures,
as well as the representatives of the American influential Mass Media
and American-Armenian communities. This factor more than clearly
demonstrates that none of the responsible representatives of the
US Government and relevant spheres, who scheduled multilateral and
meaningful meetings for Serge Sargsyan and his delegation, previously
had any doubt as to the personality of the Armenian presidential
candidate with whom the American Government is going to work. So,
by having a meeting with Serge Sargsyan, each of them had a goal to
familiarize himself/herself with the approaches of Armenia's future
leader towards the issues related to the given sphere, with the purpose
of synthesizing them with their own programs. It is also natural that
negotiations emanating from such a starting point were mainly expected
to touch upon the problems related to the future and the prospects,
rather than the past way or the current stage of the Armenian-American
relations. The prospect of the Armenian-American mutual cooperation in
the field of defense and security were discussed with Robert Gates,
the US Secretary of Defense, in a meeting held October 18. The Prime
Minister's October 18 meeting with John Danilovich, Head of the
"Millennium Challenges" Corporation and the October 23 negotiations
with Ruben Jeffery, US Under-Secretary of State on Economic Affairs
were devoted to the prospects of the Armenian-American economic
cooperation and in that context - the discussion of the issue of the
assistance to be provided to Armenia under the "Millennium Challenges"
program. The foreign policy issues and first of all, the prospects
of the settlement of the Karabakh conflict were discussed during the
meeting with the US State Secretary Condoleezza Rice. These issues, as
well as the process of the democratic reforms taking place in Armenia
had been previously discussed on a higher level, during the October
18 negotiations with the US Vice President Dick Chaney. During the
meeting with the American legislators, especially the two leaders
of the Democratic majority of Congress, the Prime Minister had
the opportunity introduce Armenia's official attitudes towards the
international recognition of the Armenian Genocide and the future of
the Armenian-Turkish relations. The Prime Minister's meetings with the
influential activists of the Armenian community and organizations in
Washington and Los Angeles were also eventful. Of special importance
was the meeting with the great benefactor Kyrk Kyrkoryan who expressed
a desire to visit Armenia in the near future. Serge Sargsyan's
US visit became a proper occasion for taking new steps towards
strengthening Armenia's ties and cooperation with more influential
international financial organizations which, as we know, have their
central offices in the United States. In this respect, of special
importance were the October 21 meetings with Dominic Straus-Canny,
Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund and Grim Willer
and Shiger Kassu, Managing Director and Vice Director of the World
Bank respectively. S. Sargsyan's visit to America found a response in
the American press and other media as well as inside the influential
Armenian community of the United States. During the interviews and
speeches the Prime Minister introduced himself to the American society
and the American Armenian community as an activist having a profound
knowledge of the external and internal challenges faced by Armenia and
convinced of the implementation of the reforms which are necessary
for our country in the globalizing world of the 21st century. Thus,
the Prime Minister's one-week visit to the United States became
the specific pre-electoral review of the clarified prospects of
bilateral cooperation. It gave the American side the opportunity to
have a profound and total understanding of the principal goals and
programs of the chief presidential candidate of Armenia, as well as
clarify the United States attitudes towards them. Organizing such a
high-level meeting and attaching importance to the agreements achieved
as a result of the multilateral and meaningful negotiations with the
Prime Minister, the American side definitely clarified its political
preferences with regard to the presidential elections to be held in
Armenia in the near future.