YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — The Armenian authorities need to hold free elections and embark on other “deep” reforms if they are to fulfill President Serge Sargisian’s recent pledge to turn Armenia into a full-fledged democracy, US Ambassador to Armenia Marie Yovanovitch said on Monday.
Yovanovitch also urged to them to strengthen the Armenian civil society, saying that is “vital” for the country’s democratization, prosperity and even national security.
In a December speech before members of his Republican Party of Armenia (HHK), Sargisian said the existing political order could lead to “stagnation”without a “deepening of democracy.”He called for a “consistent introduction of European standards into all areas of our state, public and economic lives.”
