U.S. Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Richard Verma with US Ambassador to Armenia Kristina Kvien in Yerevan

U.S. wants road map for key areas of cooperation with Armenia

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YEREVAN (PanARMENIAN.Net) — The United States wants a “clear road map” on how Washington and Yerevan can advance in key areas, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Richard Verma said at a meeting with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan on June 17.

“The Strategic Partnership is incredibly important to the United States, and we look forward to leaving here with a clear road map on how we can advance in key areas on peace and prosperity, economy, trade, people-to-people ties and continue to bring our cooperation to another level,” Verma said.

The two discussed issues of expansion of the Armenia-U.S. bilateral partnership agenda, as well as regional developments.

Touching upon the Capstone meeting of the Armenia-U.S. Strategic Dialogue held in Yerevan on June 12, Mirzoyan noted: “You might be aware, Mr. Deputy Secretary, we just concluded the second capstone meeting of Strategic dialogue between Armenia and the United States, and this time we not only brought new areas and directions to our cooperation but also made a decision to level up to establish Strategic Partnership which will be another milestone. So we move on the correct path, we have tangible results, and of course, we will discuss much more.”

The diplomats discussed issues of Armenian-American decentralized cooperation, emphasizing the establishment and expansion of cooperation between the regions and cities of Armenia and the states and cities of the USA.

Mirzoyan and Verma looked into the development of Armenian-American relations in the context of strengthening Armenia’s resilience. The successful implementation of reforms aimed at strengthening democracy and the rule of law in Armenia and the valuable U.S. support in that direction were touched upon.

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Mirzoyan briefed Verma on the efforts aimed at normalizing relations with Azerbaijan, including signing a peace treaty. The issues of economic and transport connectivity and the opportunities provided by the implementation of the “Crossroads of Peace” project developed by the Government of the Republic of Armenia were touched upon.

Verma hailed the “important time” in Washington’s relationship with Yerevan at a meeting with Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan on the sidelines of the Armenia-U.S. Local Democracy Forum.

“It is a great honor for me to meet with You. This is my first visit to Armenia, but I have worked on this relationship for many years. It’s really wonderful to be here with the team. This is such an important time in our relationship,” Verma said. Khachaturyan said the U.S. diplomat’s visit is important in the context of increasing the role of “decentralized cooperation”. “From my personal experience, I know very well what this means. I attach great importance to your visit and to paying special attention to this initiative,” Khachaturyan said.

“I would like to emphasize that the government of our country pays special attention to the equal development of the territories of Armenia. This is also the aim of the idea and implementation of the communities’ consolidation, the result of which we are seeing. We are very interested in making full use of Armenia’s development potential outside Yerevan. In this regard, this event and the initiative are very important. Thank You one more time for your visit.”

During his visit, Verma also visited the Armenian Genocide Museum-Memorial.

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