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Armenia Should Advance Democratic Reforms, US Secretary Of State

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  • Armenia Should Advance Democratic Reforms, US Secretary Of State

    ARMENIA SHOULD ADVANCE DEMOCRATIC REFORMS, US SECRETARY OF STATE
    Artur Grigoryan, Karen Grigoryan, "Aylur".

    Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
    28 Mar 06

    [Presenter] Armenia has signed an agreement with the Millennium
    Challenge Corporation [MCC] at the State Department in Washington,
    under which the US will provide 236.5 million dollars in assistance
    over five years.

    The bulk of the funds will be spent on reducing poverty in the
    Armenian villages, restoring of infrastructure, roads and irrigation
    system. It is said that this will improve the lives of about 1m
    peoples. About 1m people live in the Armenian villages. The American
    State Department confirmed that the price of this great present is
    to continue democratic reforms in Armenia.

    US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Armenian Foreign Minister
    Vardan Oskanyan took part in the signing ceremony.

    [Condoleezza Rice, captioned, speaking in English with Armenian
    voice-over] Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. It is a great honour
    for me to greet the members of the Armenian delegation. This meeting is
    a promising step in the US and Armenian partnership. The agreement is
    also the embodiment of America's transformational diplomacy because it
    will empower Armenian people to better their own lives, to strengthen
    their own communities and to transform their own future.

    [Vardan Oskanyan, captioned, speaking in English with Armenian
    voice-over] We welcome the US government's decision to assist those
    countries which pledge to govern justly, to encourage economic openness
    and to invest in people.

    [Passage omitted: correspondent reported about the details of the
    programme and about a teleconference from Washington for Armenian
    journalists]

    [Vardan Oskanyan] The elections of 2007 and 2008 will be an examination
    on democracy in Armenia. Our task is, until the elections, to partner
    with the US and the European governments to implement the necessary
    corrective steps to improve the conditions necessary for an honest
    and fair expression of people's voices.
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