President says Armenia wants deeper ties with U.S.

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia and the United States enjoy a close cooperation and high-level inter-state relations, and Yerevan is interested to deepen partnership with Washington, Armenian president Armen Sarkissian said at a meeting with the delegation headed by United States Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Bridget A. Brink.

Sarkissian hailed the U.S. efforts as a co-chairing country of the OSCE Minsk Group aimed at finding a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

Russia and France are the other co-chairs of the Minsk Group, which is mandated to mediate negotiations between the parties to the conflict.

Brink, in turn, congratulated the President on the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the First Republic of Armenia.

On May 28, Armenia is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the First Republic of Armenia, which played a decisive role in the further establishment of the country in the decades that followed.

The Deputy Assistant Secretary of State also commended Sarkissian for his mediation efforts in the process of the civil disobedience campaign which forced former Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan to resign in April.

As a result of massive protests in April-May, the parliament elected opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan as the country’s new PM.

Brink added that the U.S. will continue to work with the Armenian government and nation to help fight corruption, make Armenia more attractive for American investors, promote human rights and boost the development of tourism.