Today Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Lynne Tracy. In attendance were Director of the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Caucasus Affairs and Regional Conflicts Cheryl Fernandez, USAID Armenia Mission Director Deborah Grieser, U.S. Deputy Ambassador to Armenia Christopher W. Smith and Head of the U.S. Embassy Political Economy Section Ryan Campbell.

Welcoming the U.S. partners, the Prime Minister expressed gratitude for the passage of a resolution by the U.S. House of Representatives recognizing the Armenian Genocide. Nikol Pashinyan noted that the resolution is a bold step towards serving truth and historical justice that also offers comfort to millions of descendants of the Armenian Genocide survivors.

With reference to the U.S.-Armenia partnership, Prime Minister Pashinyan noted that strong with an ambitious agenda of democratic reforms, the Armenian government is committed to its implementation and looks forward to being backed by international partners, including the United States, in order to bring the reforms to successful completion.

Thankful for the reception, Lynne Tracy said the United States is keen to develop effective partnership with Armenia, too. Ambassador Tracey noted that the U.S. assistance has increased by 40% under the bilateral cooperation programs for 2019 as compared to last year. She suggested exploring ways of putting it at the service of Armenia’s democratic and economic development.

For her part, Director of the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Caucasus Affairs and Regional Conflicts Cheryl Fernandez said: “The U.S. Government supports Armenia’s democratic and economic reforms, the anticorruption agenda and regional security-targeted efforts. We are proud to reaffirm our commitment to continued consultations on these strategic issues.”

A wide range of issues related to U.S.-Armenia partnership agenda were discussed during the meeting. The interlocutors touched upon the prospects of cooperation in the process of judiciary reform, anticorruption campaign, economic and legislative reforms. Ideas were exchanged on the programs implemented in the fields of tourism, energy, agribusiness and SME promotion. The need for new initiatives to promote civic activism among the youth was highlighted on both sides.

Pleased with the joint work with the Prime Minister’s Office and other government agencies, the Ambassador reaffirmed the United States’ readiness to continue supporting the Armenian government’s priorities.

Prime Minister Pashinyan reiterated the importance of the U.S.-Armenia partnership and exchange of experience for promoting the reform process, fostering economic progress and developing democratic institutions.