Tuesday, 23 October 2007
RA Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan's Statement at Session of the US-Armenian Task Force on Economic Questions
Dear Partners, Ladies and Gentlemen,With a great pleasure, I welcome the participants of this session of the US-Armenian task force on economic questions and I wish all of us effective and fruitful work. Though this planned session is held a year later than planned, I am convinced that the given circumstance cannot influence anyway our cooperation which has been developing normally and will deepen during the next years.
A key donor of humanitarian assistance, the United States hold an important place in the political and economic life of Armenia and the relationship with the USA constitute a basic direction of Armenia's foreign policy. The USA-Armenia relations cover a broad sector of cooperation and are characterized by high dynamics of development. Since the very first years of independence, the US government has been backing and strengthening Armenia's sovereignty, stimulated by the regaining of independence through democratic way, the formation of democratic institutions, the liberalization of economy and the presence in the USA of an authoritative and influential Armenian community. From October 1992 to date, under the Freedom Assistance Act, the US government has extended to Armenia humanitarian and technical help to a total sum of about USD 1.7 billion.
The high level of bilateral relationship with the USA is considered by our country as an important pledge for Armenia's economic development and regional stability. Armenia aspires to strengthen today's positive tendencies, first of all, by using the format of the USA-Armenia intergovernmental task force on economic questions. This format has already proved to be viable, and I believe that all of you may agree that we have to ensure its uninterrupted activity. The terms of reference of the task force cover extremely important to the development of Armenia spheres: banking, legal, energy, judicial, customs administration and infrastructure. Serious achievements have been recorded in matters concerning intellectual property, anticorruption strategy, struggle with human trafficking, money-laundering, financing of terrorism, as well as frontier and agricultural questions. I would like to stress once again that the aforementioned areas are high on the policy agenda of public authorities in Armenia, and it is difficult to overestimate our joint efforts exerted in the frameworks of the task force.
In particular, I wish to single out the Millenium Challenge Program which has a chief focus on the stimulation of economic development and reduction of poverty in rural areas. I think it necessary to note that the authorities of Armenia are that authorities in Armenia are currently concentrating on the development of rural settlements and the lowering of the level of poverty. In addition to the assistance received from abroad, the government seeks to use Armenia's domestic resources for the decision of countryside problems.
I want to reiterate the adherence of the Government of Armenia to the principles of democracy and emphasize that the authorities of Armenia will continue political and economic reforms underway in our country. Our vision of the political and economic future of Armenia is the construction of a democratic, liberal country and, from the viewpoint of respect of universal values, the United States is perceived by us as the ally of Armenia. Over the past two years alone, a new constitution was adopted, the judiciary was radically reformed, the election code was improved, a new law on local self-government was enacted. The struggle against corruption is a priority for the present government and it has already undertaken radical steps in the direction of improvement of the situation in tax and customs spheres. The first results can be seen already and this line will be consistently continued in future.
The RA Government is highly appreciative of US government's assistance aimed at improving our country's electoral system and is ready to continue closely cooperating with the US side. The Armenian authorities are interested in free, transparent and fair elections, as witnessed by the parliamentary elections of 2007, which were given a high estimation on the part of the international observers. The authorities of Armenia are firmly determined to hold the next year's presidential elections in accordance with the international criteria.
Once again, I wish the session successful and effective work, as I am confident that your work will make an important contribution both in terms of deepening and expanding the US-Armenian relationship and developing the economy and strengthening democracy in independent Armenia.
Thank you.
