President Serzh Sargsyan received US congressmen’s delegation

Today, President Serzh Sargsyan received the delegation of the US congressmen led by the Chairman of the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs Ed Royce. The delegation included Eliot Lance Engel, David Sisilin and Lois Frankel.

The president welcomed the delegation in our country and underscored that the US congressmen’s visit to Armenia on the remembrance day of the Armenian Genocide and the meeting at the Genocide victims’ memorial were of special importance. According to Serzh Sargsyan that was the striking illustration of the fact that the Armenian people were not alone in their national tragedy. The President of Armenia expressed his gratitude to Armenia’s friends in the US Congress, including the delegation members having visited Armenia for sharing the Armenian people’s grief on the 99th anniversary of the Mets Eghern and paying tribute to the memory of the victims of the 20th century’s first genocide.

Serzh Sargsyan also expressed his appreciation to the United States of America for contributing to Armenia's economic development, the implementation of reforms, the promotion and consolidation of democracy, regional stability, as well as for its active engagement in issues which were of vital importance for Armenia. Serzh Sargsyan assured that Armenia was committed to further advance and promote the Armenian-US bilateral relations.

The Chairman of the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs Ed Royce and the delegation members thanked the President of Armenia for his appreciation and kind words and noted that it was important for both the democrats and republicans of the delegation to be present in Armenia on that day being alive to its significance. According to Ed Royce, if the history took a bad turn and history textbooks did not tell the truth the developments were in danger. The Chairman of the Committee made believe that in the United States the topic of the Armenian Genocide was included in history textbooks and was taught.

The US congressmen expressed their readiness to continue efforts to promote Armenia's development and the well-being of the Armenian people.

At the meeting, the interlocutors also touched upon the priorities of Armenia's foreign policy agenda, regional issues and challenges.