On the initiative of US Ambassador Lynne Tracy, a meeting was held Wednesday with members of the Supreme Body of the opposition Armenian Revolutionary Federation-ARF Dashnaktsutyun Party of Armenia, reports News.am.
Ambassador Tracy emphasized her interest in the ARF’s political priorities and programs in consideration of the post-snap-parliamentary-election realities in Armenia.
Ishkhan Saghatelyan, the representative of the ARF-Armenia Supreme Body, presented in general terms the concerns and assessments of the party, as well as of the Hayastan Dashinq—led by second President Robert Kocharyan—, regarding the current political atmosphere in Armenia, pre-election violations, personnel “massacre,” and arbitrariness of the law in the country.
Saghatelyan also stressed that the security challenges of Armenia, as well as the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) issue, continue to be priorities on the ARF’s agenda.
Lilit Galstyan, another member of the ARF-Armenia Supreme Body, touched upon the regression of democracy in the country, and highlighted the US role—within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group—in the settlement of the Artsakh issue.
Ambassador Tracy, for her part, stressed that the US will continue to be committed to supporting the democratic, economic, and social governance of Armenia. The envoy added that she will closely follow the issues of those displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as assist in the return of Armenian captives from Azerbaijan. The participants of the meeting highlighted the mutual contacts and opportunities for further cooperation.
