Thursday, May 31 2018 16:09

ArmInfo. The US fully works with the new government of Armenia and considers all areas where it can be useful. On May 31, US Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills  stated in an interview with journalists after the ceremony of taking  the oath of Peace Corps volunteers, answering the question whether it  is possible that after the last political processes in Armenia, it  will be possible for Armenia to join the programs of the Millennium  Challenge Corporation.  

In this context, he recalled that at the end  of last week, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and  Eurasian Affairs Brigitte Brink was in Armenia. "Brink, during the  visit, held meetings with the country's president, prime minister,  foreign minister.The purpose of the meetings is to understand how the  US can help, we talked about various possible areas of assistance,  discussed also the new program of the Millennium Challenge  Corporation, said the US ambassador.  At that, he stressed that they  will continue the talks.

Referring to the fact that the US President sent congratulations to  Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in connection with the ADR 100th  anniversary, meanwhile, the Armenian side did not receive  congratulations, Mills said: "As far as I know, the Armenian  government officially celebrates the 100th anniversary of the  republic in September, so I expect official congratulations then  (Armenia traditionally celebrates the Day of the First Republic on  May 28, and September 21 - Independence Day editor's notes) ".

At the same time, he considered the most important fact that Trump  had already sent his congratulations to the new government and the  people of Armenia in connection with peaceful demonstrations and  protest movements that led to a new chapter in the history of  Armenia.

To note, in 2006 the Millennium Challenge Corporation and the  Armenian government signed an agreement aimed at reducing rural  poverty through stable economic growth in the agrarian sector. By the  time of the program's official completion, investments in the  framework of the corporation's grant aimed at the implementation of  the Millennium Challenge-Armenia program amounted to about $ 177  million. The five-year Millennium Challenge Armenia program was  officially completed at the end of September 2011.  In 2013, the then  Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan instructed ex-Finance  Minister David Sargsyan to raise the issue of resuming the Millennium  Challenge program in the republic at the meeting of the  Armenian-American intergovernmental commission, as well as apply to  the office of the Millennium Challenge Corporation. According to the  prime minister, the preconditions for the repeated treatment are the  indicators of the previous program. At the same time, he noted that  the probability of resuming the program is not very high. Already in  April 2017, in an online dialogue with representatives of the US  Committee on the Armenian Question (ANCA), US Ambassador to Armenia  Richard Mill said that the possible grant of a grant from Armenia by  the US Millennium Challenge Corporation largely depends on the  upcoming spring parliamentary elections.