“ARMENIA WILL BE A STRONGER COUNTRY IF IT HOLDS DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS”
MEDIAMAX armenian news agency
15.09.06
Weekly Analytical Report
Exclusive interview of U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Evans to
Mediamax agency U.S. Ambassador John Evans completed his diplomatic
mission in Armenia.
Before his departure on September 10 he gave a farewell interview
to Mediamax.
– Mr. Evans, what do you consider to be your greatest achievement
during your service in Armenia?
– I think we achieved a lot. The conclusion of the Millenium Challenge
Compact that was signed at the end of March 2006 is probably the
biggest achievement. But as I have already said before, the work of
diplomacy is like gardening – it takes persistence and patience. And
we have had that kind of approach – we didn’t simply make a list of
things to achieve.
We have greater cooperation with Armenia in security and defense
matters.
It’s not only the question of the Armenian non-combatant contingent
that’s serving in Iraq, but also cooperation in the framework of
NATO. And I think we have also seen some progress in the strengthening
of democratic institutions.
I do think that the recent events – murders of officials and attacks
on journalists – are not a good sign. At the moment I am quite worried
about that. Journalists need to be protected as they carry out a very
crucial function in any democratic system.
– And what was your biggest disappointment during your work in Armenia?
– In general, I am not disappointed by my time here. The only thing
that would fit into the category you mentioned is the disappointment I
had when the constitutional referendum held in Armenia last November
apparently was not conducted in a totally honest way. I had had
very clear assurances from some very highly placed members of the
Armenian government. They assured me, crossing their heart, that there
would be no such falsifications. And I went out on a limb and took
a personal risk in supporting the substance of the constitutional
amendments. I did that because I felt that the Armenian people had
a right to know what the United States, as well as the European
Union, Council of Europe and the OSCE, thought about the content
of those amendments. So I took the risk, and I was criticized for
supporting those amendments. So I was very disappointed in the end
that apparently, and again nothing has been proven, but apparently
there was a falsification of the vote count.
– Last year you said in an interview to our agency, that “The lesson
of some other elections in this region ought to be clear to anyone
tempted to falsify election results: the people are not stupid,
and they will figure it out, and that will create a big problem,
fraught with great risks”.
What is your opinion on whether there are still many people in Armenia
who might have such a temptation during the elections in 2007 and 2008?
– Recent polling results that we have access to, conducted in Armenia
by the Gallup Organization, indicate that there is a lot of skepticism
about next year’s elections. I think that Armenia is headed in the
right direction, and one day or another, sooner or later, Armenia
will become a true democratic country. We believe that Armenia will
be a stronger country if it holds democratic elections, which are
the key to the legitimacy of the elected officials.
A year ago we were advised not to waste any more money on working with
Armenian political parties. But we went against the experts’ advice,
because we were not ready to give up on Armenian democracy. And I am
still not ready to give up. I think there are many people who do want
to see the elections be free and fair. They see the advantages of this
to Armenia–a country with no oil wealth and no hydrocarbons–but a
country that needs to preserve the respect of the democratic world,
the Western world, and needs to meet its own commitments to the Council
of Europe and to the OSCE. It’s a question of Armenia’s self-respect,
but it’s also a question of the respect of the world.
– Some U.S. experts are of the opinion that the power of the Armenian
Diaspora in the USA limits the opportunities of the United States to
encourage democratic changes in Armenia, as the Diaspora oppose any
criticism of the Armenian authorities from Washington. Do you agree
with such point of view?
– I do not. I think the opposite. I think the Armenian-American
community in various ways has a very positive impact on development
here. Of course, there is a certain sensitivity about open criticism,
but I have heard a lot of criticism precisely from Armenian-Americans,
who are disappointed that Armenia has not moved quickly enough towards
becoming a full-fledged democracy. So, I take the opposite view. I
think that Armenia’s international connections, not only with the
United States, but with France, with Russia, with other countries, are
one of the preconditions for building a strong democracy in Armenia.
– Despite the numerous efforts of the United States, Armenian-Turkish
relations are not normalized and the border remains closed. Do you
see any possibility for achieving some progress?
– Turkey is an ally of the United States, and I understand very well
the complications that Armenia has with its Turkish neighbors at the
moment. I do hope that wise people on the both sides of the border
will come to see the mutual advantages of trade across the border,
of cooperating on energy issues – Eastern Turkey is short of energy
and Armenia might be able to help in this regard.
I believe that diplomatic relations should be established between
Yerevan and Ankara. This is not an easy area, but the commonsense,
good judgment, and wisdom of people on both sides needs to be brought
to bear on this problem.
– This year the issue of providing for Armenia’s energy security
became a topic for active discussions. What kind of support can the
United States provide in this regard? In particular, U.S. Deputy
Assistant Secretary Daniel Fried, who visited Armenia this March,
said that Armenia’s desire to have a new nuclear power plant will be
seriously discussed in Washington.
– First of all, I would say that we have already helped a great deal
in studying the problem. We have worked very closely with the Ministry
of Energy. There was a conference in July about the least-cost option,
which the Ministry is discussing. There will be another conference,
I believe, in October to discuss this. But, the United States will
need to know a lot more about Armenia’s plans for its energy security
before any kind of discussion can happen about the future of nuclear
energy capacity. We see that the Metsamor reactor is coming to
the end of its useful life and should be decommissioned in 2015 or
2016. That is going to be an expensive process and we believe that
Armenia needs to plan now, if not already yesterday, for how it is
going to manage the expense of decommissioning the existing plant,
not to mention the enormous expense of building a follow-on plant.
– This year much has been said about the existing “window
of possibilities” for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict. What is your opinion, has the window closed, or are there
still some hopes?
– As you know, I am not in the lead on this issue. Rather, Matthew
Bryza, the OSCE Minsk Co- Chair representing the United States,
is working on this. I will say that I think it was a very good
development that the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs decided this June
to make public the main elements of their discussions with the
sides so that the Armenian and Azerbaijani societies could discuss
these elements, think about them and decide what their attitude is
towards those elements. I think what they will find on both sides
is that the deal that was on the table, and is still on the table,
is really the best possible, most fair and long-lasting settlement
that can be reached. Another conflict in the South Caucasus would
be a disaster for both sides. It would undoubtedly be inconclusive,
it would cause more suffering, and it would set back the entire
region. Both sides need to think very hard about the way forward,
and try to find a peaceful settlement so that the entire region can
join the rest of the world in prosperity, stability, and peace.
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