President visits UN Office in Armenia

Today, President Serzh Sargsyan visited the United Nations Armenia Office on the 25th anniversary of Armenia’s accession to the United Nations and UN activities in Armenia.

On this important and memorable jubilee, the President of Armenia congratulated the Organization’s staff, which is headed by UNDP Resident Coordinator Bradley Busetto, as well as the specialized agencies, foundations and programs that are part of the Armenian team.

The President highly appreciated those development programs implemented by the UN Office in Armenia over the past 25 years, which, according to him, were both targeted and multifaceted, ranging from the promotion of democratic institutions to the support of small and medium-sized businesses.

At the meeting with UN Resident Coordinator Bradley Busetto, President Sargsyan expressed the hope that Armenia’s effective cooperation with the organization would go strengthening year by year. The President said he has kept warm recollections of his meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on the margins of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly. Serzh Sargsyan reaffirmed Armenia’s commitment to the core values advocated by the United Nations.

“UN Resident Coordinator Bradley Busetto has made a valuable contribution to the activities of the UN Office in Armenia. Our citizens trust in the UN Office’s mission since your programs are implemented with top quality and a sense of high responsibility. The UN is in the first place an association of countries striving for common goals, and I would like to thank the thousands of people who carry out an important mission under the UN flag, who do their daily work with great dedication,” President Sargsyan said.

Thanking the President of the Republic of Armenia for visiting the UN Office, as well as for his congratulations and kind remarks, Bradley Busetto emphasized that the UN Office has done its best to make the UN a neutral platform for cooperation between Armenia and the international community.

“The United Nations has been implementing several programs in Armenia through funds available from the European Union, the Russian Federation, the United States, and other donors.

During these years, we have tried to focus on issues of strategic importance to the Government of Armenia, such as modernization of border checkpoints, strengthening of democratic institutions, democratic elections and demographic challenges.

We look forward to implementing ever new projects, for instance, the modernization of Meghri border checkpoint. We are discussing with the Ministry of Emergency Situations the possibility of cleaning up warehouses containing hazardous matters on the site of Nairit.

We are implementing very good and important work in Tavush Marz border communities, and are now exploring the possibility of expanding the scope of these programs to cover border settlements in Gegharkunik and Syunik Marzes of Armenia.

Of course, we should not forget the work we do in cooperation with Armenia to support Syrian-Armenian refugees.

Taking this opportunity, I would like to express my gratitude to Armenia for support of peace and stability at the international level, in particular, for playing an important and active role in the UN peacekeeping mission. I want to highlight Armenia’s peacekeeping missions in Mali, Lebanon and other countries, and the readiness to continue ahead,” UN Resident Coordinator Busetto said.

In conclusion, accompanied by the UN Resident Coordinator, President Sargsyan called at the UN Office-hosted “UN-Armenia: 25 years in the United Nations family” exhibition, which by means of photos presents Armenia’s 25-year-long presence in the UN, as well as the multifaceted programs implemented by the UN Office in Armenia.