YEREVAN. – US Ambassador to Armenia, John Heffern, on Friday met with National Assembly (NA) Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan, Zhamanak daily reports.

“In all likelihood, the US ambassador discussed with Abrahamyan matters linked to the presidential election [to be held in Armenia on February 18], since he [that is, Abrahamyan] heads [the ruling Republican Party presidential candidate, incumbent President] Serzh Sargsyan’s [campaign] headquarters.

But this meeting is noteworthy in the sense that the US embassy—or, similarly, America—does not accept Abrahamyan all that much as the NA speaker, and considers him a part of Armenia’s criminal-oligarchic system.

[But] it is noteworthy that neither the NA nor the US embassy released an official statement with respect to the meeting of Abrahamyan and Heffern; and this could be their first meeting,” Zhamanak writes.