Friday, 24 February 2012
Tigran Sargsyan Receives U.S. Ambassador
Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan received U.S. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Armenia John Heffern.
A broad range of bilateral relations-associated issues have been discussed, including a number of joint programs
The parties exchanged views on the upcoming parliamentary elections and businessmen’s involvement in them, as well as the Armenian draft law on the legal status of the state of emergency.
The Prime Minister said maximum transparency will have to be provided during the elections, making every case a subject of public debate. According to the head of government, this may help hold free, fair and transparent elections in accordance with democratic standards. Tigran Sargsyan stressed that no businessman will be included in the proportional list of his Republican Party. In this context, the interlocutors attached importance to the establishment of the high-ranking officials’ ethics commission, which is meant to analyze and publish the property and income statements of high-ranking officials. “Some 500 public officials are to submit income statements before March 15, part of which will be put on record,” the Prime Minister noted.
“We welcome the government’s steps, including those legislative initiatives which provide the opposition with a strong toolkit for holding free, fair and transparent elections,” John Heffern said assuring of his support for any such initiative.
Concerning the draft law on the legal status of the state of emergency, Tigran Sargsyan advised that the finalized bill incorporates an array of proposals made by the opposition.
John Heffern said to have attended the Premier’s January 29 lecture meant for the Yerevan School of Political Studies in Tsakhkadzor: “It was very exciting: especially noteworthy is the fact that you kept answering the participants’ questions and presented your programs for a few hours without a break,” John Heffern noticed.
