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EU Expects Proper Conduct Of Armenian Vote

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  • EU Expects Proper Conduct Of Armenian Vote

    EU EXPECTS PROPER CONDUCT OF ARMENIAN VOTE
    By Ruben Meloyan

    Radio Liberty, Czech Republic
    Feb 6 2008

    Top representatives of the European Union sounded on Wednesday
    optimistic about the freedom and fairness of Armenia's upcoming
    presidential election, citing the Armenian authorities' conduct of
    last May's parliamentary polls.

    Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, whose country currently
    holds the EU's rotating presidency, and EU External Relations
    Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said the issue was high on the
    agenda of their meetings in Yerevan with President Robert Kocharian
    and other Armenian leaders. They reiterated that a clean vote is a
    necessary condition for Armenia's successful participation in the
    European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) program.

    "We have found that the democratic atmosphere has progressed in the
    past year," Rupel told reporters after the talks. He expressed hope
    that the February 19 vote will mark an improvement over the May 2007
    elections which Western observers described as largely democratic.

    "This presidential election will be an opportunity to further improve
    some standards even if previous elections have not been bad," he said.

    Citing the opinion of a Council of Europe body dealing with legal
    reform, Ferrero-Waldner said she is confident that there will be such
    an improvement. "We do hope that the presidential elections will
    indeed be competitive, free and fair," she said. "I think the last
    elections already have shown good results."

    Ferrero-Waldner added that the EU also expects Armenia to strengthen
    rule of law and improve the business environment in the country in
    line with other commitments stemming from its participation in the ENP.

    "We are interested in holding really good elections in accordance
    with international standards," President Robert Kocharian assured
    the visiting EU officials earlier in the day. A statement by the
    presidential press service said Kocharian also briefed them on the
    current state of the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process and his governments
    efforts to ensure Armenia's energy security.

    "We have an in-depth discussion and I am very happy with its results,"
    Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian said for his part.
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