Welcome, Mr. Prime Minister

Published: Saturday October 27, 2007

Serge Sargsian came to the United States for the first time as Armenia's prime minister last week. He met with Vice President Richard Cheney, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, and congressional leaders. He also held meetings at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. He met in Washington with leaders of Armenian-American organizations, and traveled to Los Angeles, to meet with a larger number of Armenian-Americans. He also met with the Editorial Board of the Los Angeles Times and granted interviews to The Associated Press and the Armenian Reporter.

The United States-Armenia relationship is an essential one for Armenia. It needs constant cultivation and tending. The relationship is also significant for the United States: Armenia is a friendly, democratic nation in a difficult region, and there are vibrant connections between the peoples of the two countries through the Armenian-American community and through U.S. outreach efforts.

We are happy to see the prime minister in the United States. As we have said before, we hope that he and other high-level officials will become more frequent visitors to the nation's capital and to the Armenian communities across the land. With such visits, policy makers in the United States are reminded of Armenia's bilateral value, as well as Armenia's constructive role in the region.