March 7, 2008

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza visits Armenia

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Matthew Bryza visited Armenia March 7-8. In the course of his visit he met with President Kocaharian, Prime Minister Serzh Sargsian, Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian, former president Levon Ter-Petrosian, other opposition political leaders, and members of civil society. Mr. Bryza appealed for calm on all sides and an end to violence. He told his interlocutors that the State of Emergency should end and that the best way to ease tensions is through dialogue between all parties. He noted that, to encourage dialogue, restrictions on the press should be lifted and full media freedom restored. Mr. Bryza also highlighted the need for the police and the courts to be scrupulous in their investigations of the events of March 1^st and 2^st to avoid the appearance of persecution of political opponents. Bryza said that bilateral relations with the United States would depend on the speed with which Armenian authorities establish a democratic institutional framework in Armenia. He stressed the eagerness of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs to finalize the Basic Principles for a Nagorno-Karabakh settlement.