Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received the delegation led by Samantha Power, the Administrator of the USAID, which included Yuri Kim, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State.
The Prime Minister welcomed Mrs. Power’s visit to our country at this difficult time. “I think you are aware of the general situation, as we had the opportunity to discuss this situation with the members of the US House of Representatives, two days ago I had a telephone conversation with Secretary of State Blinken.
Our partners are in contact and I think it is very important that we have this opportunity to discuss all the details of the current situation in our region.
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You are aware that, unfortunately, the process of ethnic cleansing of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh continues, it is happening right now, and it is a very tragic fact. We tried to inform the international community that this ethnic cleansing was going to happen, but, unfortunately, we failed to prevent it. But this situation and tensions in our region continue to grow, and now it is very important to take concrete measures to prevent further escalation and even bigger problems. I am very happy for this opportunity and welcome you to our country,” said Nikol Pashinyan.
Samantha Power thanked the Prime Minister for the warm welcome shown to the delegation led by her. “I know how busy you are, considering the given situation. President Biden sent me and my delegation here to underline the deep commitment of the United States to the sovereignty, territorial integrity and democracy of Armenia. I know that USAID works with the Armenian people, and the Armenian government has never shown hesitancy in this matter, and that is very important.
We have arrived in Armenia, and I hope I will have the opportunity to come again to discuss our steps aimed at strengthening your deepening democracy, but during this trip, of course, we are focused on the concrete crisis, the humanitarian needs of the people of Nagorno Karabakh, the humanitarian needs of the people who fled from Nagorno Karabakh. I assume about 5,000 people crossed into Armenia today, and we really take very seriously our responsibility to mobilize resources, ourselves, to support local authorities in finding places to stay and other means of support, but also get other countries to do the same.
The United States of America will continue to work with both your Government and the government of Azerbaijan to bring about lasting peace between the countries, also considering the profound economic dividends and stability it will bring for the Armenian people. The steps that you have taken to strengthen checks and balances,to expand economic growth, to fight against corruption, all these are investments in the future of Armenia,” said Samantha Power.
The Administrator of the US International Development Agency conveyed the letter of US President Joe Biden to Prime Minister Pashinyan.
Next, the interlocutors discussed the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, the possibilities of providing support to our compatriots in Nagorno-Karabakh, the developments taking place in the region, as well as the further development and expansion of Armenia-US cooperation.