YEREVAN. – Armenian News-NEWS.am presents an interview with U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Heffern.  

Recently, when talking with students at Synopsys Armenia, you expressed regret regarding the failed Armenian-Turkish protocols.  According to you, what is the prospect for this issue and will the United States take steps to bring the sides closer?

Rapprochement between Armenia and Turkey will foster increased stability and prosperity in the entire Caucasus region.  It has long been and remains the position of the United States that normalization should take place without preconditions.

Another statement which you made about the events of 1915 gave ground for numerous comments.  Can you clarify exactly what kind of pressure you were talking about?

Congress, in the process of fulfilling its Constitutional duties, can and should ask tough questions of ambassadorial nominees.  In that sense, there is pressure on nominees to know and understand their country of assignment and our foreign policy toward that country.

You also spoke about steps directed to make Armenia look to the West. Don’t you think that the best means for that lies with targeted economic programs?

USG economic development programs play a very important role in providing options for Armenia to be more integrated with the West.  The U.S. Embassy, including through USAID projects, works to improve the business climate for foreign direct investment and strengthen trade options with the EU and U.S. markets.  In addition to supporting Armenia's economic integration with the West, the U.S. facilitates partnerships between Armenia and U.S. and European institutions to strengthen links across sectors.  The U.S. also supports an extensive number of exchange programs that offer valuable education and training for Armenians in the U.S.  The aim of this support is to offer Armenians a Western perspective and experience that will foster economic growth over the long term.

In addition to our programs to support Armenia, we are constantly in a discussion with the Armenian government about investment issues.  American companies invest in countries that have predictable and transparent economies.  We can help and are helping the Armenian government on this issue, but we count on the Armenian government to take the lead to create a healthy business environment. 

Could you please describe in detail the investment programs of the United States to develop tourism in Armenia?

The USAID Enterprise Development and Market Competitiveness (EDMC) Project is currently providing professional development opportunities for front-line staff, such as guides, and for middle-level managers to enhance their knowledge of international tourism standards and practices. To further contribute to improved education and workforce skills in the field, EDMC is also working with other key stakeholders, including the American University of Armenia, to train tourism operators, and has sponsored a new best practice-focused hospitality management course for Armenian industry participants.

To further promote rural tourism, EDMC is conducting a targeted assessment of the Syunik region to develop an integrated menu of new tourism products, enhance professional development opportunities, and facilitate design/dissemination of advanced promotional materials, including a detailed rural travel guide. To contribute to an improved online profile for Armenia on the World Wide Web, EDMC is developing a new content development and sustainability plan for the national tourism portal, which will function as a one-stop-shop for international tourists interested in Armenia. This will not only significantly enhance the quality and ready availability of information about traveling and staying in Armenia, but will also enhance the country’s profile as a ready tourism destination and facilitate the outreach efforts of hospitality service providers across the country.

Finally, it’s worth mentioning a word about the Black Sea Silk Road Corridor (BSSRC) project, a two-year initiative that fosters tourism development, cross-border cooperation and economic development in 173 communities across four countries of the Black Sea Silk Road Corridor – Armenia, Georgia, Greece and Turkey. 

How would you assess the recent Municipal elections in Armenia?  Do you agree that there were huge number of violations? Do you think there were disadvantages compared with the Presidential elections? 

The election was an improvement over the 2009 municipal election.  However, even with those improvements, we believe that local observation groups have raised legitimate concerns about electoral violations and the lack of level playing field.  It is important for law enforcement to proactively, but deliberately investigate and prosecute all credible reports of electoral violations.  Prosecutions of violators, irrespective of party, are an important step in building people’s trust in the democratic process. 

Recently the U.S. Ambassador in Azerbaijan spoke about possible change of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairman. Will you confirm this information and whose candidacies are being considered for this post?

The United States remains fully committed to its role as U.S. co-chair and to helping the sides find a peaceful, negotiated solution to the NK conflict.  Ambassador Kelly is an experienced diplomat who is serving as the interim U.S. co-chair until Secretary Kerry, in consultation with the White House, can nominate a permanent candidate.  The State Department will announce a candidate as soon as possible.