Most recent news | Released Tuesday, June 23, 2009
U.S. AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA DIALOGUES WITH DIOCESAN LEADERS, ADDRESSES PUBLIC FORUM AT EASTERN DIOCESE IN NEW YORK
Addressing about 250 people at the Diocesan Center on Monday, June 22, Her Excellency Marie Yovanovitch, the United States Ambassador to the Republic of Armenia, spoke about U.S. goals in Armenia, discussed taxpayer-funded development programs, and asked the public to share its concerns on U.S.-Armenia relations.
“In many ways, the Armenian-American community represents the foundation and the strength of our bilateral relationship with Armenia,” the ambassador said, underlining the support of diasporan Armenians for their homeland.
Speaking about progress made since Armenia’s independence in 1991, Ambassador Yovanovitch noted the expansion of human rights, economic growth, and increased reliance on the democratic process.
“I’m proud of our success stories,” she said, “but there’s always more that can be done.”
One focus is to bring greater fairness and transparency to local and national elections. Though she observed a more open media environment and other changes in last month’s mayoral elections in Yerevan, Ambassador Yovanovitch said there are still irregularities which make the election process problematic.
The U.S. government understands “that the path to democracy is rarely swift or smooth,” she said, and it aims “to help people restore momentum to their own democratization.”
Turning to the economy, Ambassador Yovanovitch stressed that despite growth in recent years, the Armenian economy today faces the challenges posed by the global financial crisis.
In the first five months of this year, the economy contracted by more than 15 percent, she said, a troubling trend that could lead to a rise in poverty rates. The country’s dependence on remittances and its expansion in the mining and construction sector have been severely undermined by the current economic situation.
At the same time, the ambassador said, the economic crisis is an opportunity for the Armenian government to make reforms that would put in place a transparent legal system, modernize the country’s infrastructure, and establish a competitive private sector.
To help during the economic crisis, Ambassador Yovanovitch said, the U.S. is stepping up short-term humanitarian efforts, like a new program that allocates money to villages for infrastructure work and employs local residents to carry out the projects.
“It’s basic assistance that makes a huge difference in the lives of individuals,” Ambassador Yovanovitch explained. U.S. taxpayer money is also used to bolster law enforcement capacity, operate newly opened advocacy centers and clinics, and support an initiative that assists municipalities in Armenia strengthen fiscal management, the ambassador said.
In addition, the U.S. government has partnered with companies like Coca-Cola and Sun Microsystems to sponsor programs that protect natural resources and promote information technology training at Armenian universities.
She called Armenia one of the largest recipients of U.S. aid worldwide, having received a total of $1.8 billion in total assistance to date.
Speaking about Armenia’s relationship with its neighbors, Ambassador Yovanovitch said the U.S. supports an open border with Turkey – a process that should unfold without preconditions and with a timeframe acceptable to both parties – and a resolution to the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict.
“It will take hard work and political courage to transform Armenia and the region,” she said; but remained optimistic about future developments.
Before concluding her remarks, Ambassador Yovanovitch acknowledged the “anger and disappointment” felt throughout the Armenian-American community in regard to this year’s April 24 statement from President Barack Obama.
She said that the decision whether to use the word “genocide” in the annual statement made by the U.S. President is ultimately a decision of the White House. The ambassador said that while the past must not be forgotten, it is important for Armenia to look forward, especially at a time of economic insecurity.
“Armenian issues require Armenian solutions,” she said, explaining that while the U.S. provides support, in the end it will be up to the Armenian people to chart their path in the 21st century.
Monday’s event was co-hosted by the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern) and the Fund for Armenian Relief.
In remarks introducing Ambassador Yovanovitch to the Armenian-American community, Diocesan Council member Sandra Shahinian Leitner called the Diocesan Center a most appropriate setting for the public forum.
“The Diocesan Complex is not only the central institution of the Armenian presence in America,” she said, “it has also played a central and vital role in the ongoing relationship between the United States and the Republic of Armenia.”
She went on to describe the 20-year relationship between the U.S. State Department and the Diocese, through its Fund for Armenian Relief, which has helped develop Armenia’s medical, social, technological, and other sectors.
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), thanked Ambassador Yovanovitch for her visit to the Eastern Diocese.
He recalled the role of the Diocese during the 1988 earthquake and in the midst of the September 11, 2001 attacks, emphasizing the Eastern Diocese as an American as well as an Armenian institution. The Primate also reflected on milestones in the Diocese’s long service to the Republic of Armenia.
“We will always support and love the Republic of Armenia; we will always support and love the United States of America—no matter the circumstance, in times of joy and prosperity, in times of sorrow and disappointment,” Archbishop Barsamian said. “Nothing will separate us from this bond.”
“I know that these same ideals speak to you, as well,” he added to the ambassador.
The evening also included a period where Ambassador Yovanovitch addressed questions from the audience.
On Tuesday, June 23, the ambassador returned to the Eastern Diocese for a breakfast with young professionals held at the Diocese’s Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center. A group of 30 young professionals engaged in informal discussion with Ambassador Yovanovitch.
Later that same day, the ambassador was the guest of honor at a luncheon hosted by Archbishop Barsamian in the formal reception room of the Diocesan Center, where leaders of the Eastern Diocese from the Diocesan Council, the Fund for Armenian Relief Board of Directors, and the Diocesan Legate’s Committee had an opportunity to dialogue with Ambassador Yovanovitch in a private setting.
Ambassador Yovanovitch also received a tour of St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral, given by Cathedral Dean Rev. Fr. Mardiros Chevian, with Diocesan Council Chairman Oscar Tatosian.
Ambassador Yovanovitch is in the midst of a four-city tour of Armenian-American communities, which also includes stops in Boston, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C.
U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Marie Yovanovitch addresses the Armenian-American public in Haik and Alice Kavookjian Auditorium, of the Diocesan Center in New York City, on June 22.
Diocesan Primate Abp. Khajag Barsamian (center) with U.S. Amb. Yovanovitch (right) and Garnik Nanagoulian, executive director of the Fund for Armenian Relief (left).
At the Eastern Diocese’s Zohrab Information Center, Amb. Yovanovitch talks informally with a group of young professionals from the New York area.
Abp. Barsamian thanks Amb. Yovanovitch for her two-day visit to the Eastern Diocese in New York, during a luncheon with Diocesan leaders from the Fund for Armenian Relief, the Diocesan Legates’ Committee, and the Diocesan Council.