Philip T. Reeker: The United States is ready to continue assisting  Armenia in implementing democratic reforms

ArmInfo. The United States is ready to continue to assist Armenia in implementing democratic reforms. US Acting Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian  Affairs Philip T.  Reeker  stated during a meeting with Acting Prime  Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan.  

As the press service of the RA government reports: <Welcoming the  US delegation, the RA acting PM highlighted the development of  Armenian-American cooperation and stated that this visit is a good  opportunity to discuss the agenda and prospects of the bilateral  relations.

Pashinyan appreciated the recent address of US President Joe Biden on  recognizing and condemning the Armenian Genocide and expressed hope  that it will contribute to the maintenance of stability and security  in the region. He said the recognition and condemnation of the  Armenian Genocide is an important factor for regional security  because the security challenges of the Armenian people have not  changed in the past 100 years, and the recent war against Artsakh has  proved that because the same players, who have been involved in the  organization and implementation of the Armenian Genocide, were  involved in this war.

Philip T. Reeker in his turn noted that he is visiting Armenia for  the first time and is happy to be in Yerevan to discuss the bilateral  relations with the Armenian partners. He conveyed the greetings of US  Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to Nikol Pashinyan and reaffirmed  his readiness to develop the partnering relations with Armenia.

The US official highly appreciated the processes aimed at developing  democratic institutions in Armenia and considered the 2018  parliamentary elections as exemplary. The US side expressed readiness  to continue assisting the implementation of democratic reforms in  Armenia.

The Armenian and US sides also discussed the situation in the region.  They both highlighted the key role of the OSCE Minsk Group  Co-Chairmanship and the necessity of taking actions to mitigate the  tension.

In the context of the Artsakh issue, Pashinyan said the position of  the Armenian side is that the Nagorno Karabakh conflict must be  solved within the frames of the peaceful process under the auspices  of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship, based on the principles  proposed by the Co-Chairs.

Pashinyan also drew the attention of his guest to the necessity of  quick return of Armenian POWs, hostages and other detained persons  and immediate withdrawal of the Azerbaijani armed units from  Armenia's sovereign territory.  The parties also discussed issues on  the agenda of bilateral cooperation.>