YEREVAN (Arka)—The US Embassy in Armenia will mark the centenary of the Armenian Genocide together with the Armenian people, the newly appointed US Ambassador Richard Mills told a news conference today.

 

As for the US government’s participation, the ambassador said president Obama had the honor to be invited to participate in the events to mark the centennial anniversary of the Genocide, “but during my meetings in Washington it was not yet clear who will represent the US government,” said Mills.

“During my meetings with President Serzh Sarkisian and Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian, both told me how important the high-level presence of the United States in the ceremonies is,” said Mills.

The Armenian Genocide was the first genocide of the twentieth century. Around 1.5 million Armenians were killed starting in 1915 in a systematic campaign by the Ottoman government of Turkey. Turkey denies that it committed genocide.

President Sarkisian congratulated Ambassador Mills on starting his diplomatic tenure in Armenia and wished him success. Serzh Sargsyan expressed the hope that the ambassador’s tenure would be marked by new achievements of the Armenian-American partnership.

Sarkisian stressed that Armenian-US relations stand high on the country’s foreign policy agenda and that Armenia is committed to continuing efforts at strengthening bilateral ties and promoting multifaceted cooperation.

Sarkisian praised the US for continuously supporting Armenia’s economic development, helping implement reforms, and developing democracy and civil society, thereby helping further strengthen and reinforce Armenian statehood. At the same time, the President laid special emphasis on the US’s role in maintaining security and stability in the region, including its active involvement in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process as an OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair country.

Ambassador Richard Mills expressed his appreciation for the warm welcome and congratulations, underscoring that the US pursues a clear goal to continue economic, political and security cooperation with Armenia. According to the Ambassador, the US is keen on working towards boosting Armenian-American trade and commercial ties and stimulating reforms. In that context, the interlocutors placed great value on the activities of the Armenian-American Intergovernmental Commission on Economic issues. They also discussed the status of the works aimed at negotiating the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement between Armenia and the US.