YEREVAN (RFE/RL)—Marie Yovanovitch, the U.S. ambassador in Yerevan, on Thursday repeated her emphatic calls for Armenia’s democratization, saying that they are in tune with the Armenian constitution and President Serzh Sarkisian’s public statements.
In an interview with RFE/RL’s Armenian service, Yovanovitch argued that the rule of law, democratic elections and civil rights are enshrined in the constitution. “Those are the rights of the Armenian people, as written in your constitution,” she said.
The diplomat again referred to a December speech in which Sarkisian called for a “consistent introduction of European standards into all areas of our state, public and economic lives.”
In that speech, the president also warned that Armenia’s existing political order could lead to “stagnation” without a “deepening of democracy.”
“He is the president of the country, and we certainly agree with that kind of prescription,” Yovanovitch said.
Yovanovitch also stood by her view, expressed in a February 28 speech at Yerevan State University, that the monopolization of political authority and economic resources is harmful for the country.
“If you have only one source of ideas, decision-making, resources, inevitably you’re going to be stale and stagnant … We think that’s true on the economic side, we think it’s also true on the political side,” she said.
Armenia, continued Yovanovitch, should therefore have a transparent government that is “listening to the people and is accountable to the people.” “We think those governments in countries are really the strongest and make the best partners for the United States,” she stressed.
Perhaps the ambassador means well in her comments, however, she should be careful not to overstep her bounds as a diplomat. Armenia’s internal affairs are her own concerns.
Unreal stuff from a rep of the USofA. They’re playing catch-up with events unfolding in the Middle East and North Africa after propping up these autocrats for decades. Now they are mouthing off about regime in Armenia? Where were they after the presidential election was stolen in 2008???
Yovanovitch Visit Azerbaijan!
Can you remind me who she is please!… isn’t she the U.S. ambassador in Armenia? Do you see anything in her job description the she is entitled to stick her nose in our nation’s internal affairs. This is plain and simple none of her business, it is a blatant effort to discredit Armenia while claiming to have Armenia’s well-being in her mind. If the U.S. government she is representing is so interested about democracy, I can give Yovanovitch a list of U.S. allies she can look into. As an Armenian I worry everyday about democratic failures in my homeland, but I do not accept any such comments from any foreign representative, it is an internal issue, and is none of her @$#%$#n business
She’s a graduate of the US WAR College (MS 2001) where she was taught how to wage a war on people who refuse to give Oil, Gas, and natural resources of their countries for free to the multinational corporations she represents.
Her teachers there were people like Dr. Stephen Blank, a well published Armenophobe, what do you expect from her?
George Bush appointed her to be the US Ambassador to Armenia after firing Ambassador John Evans for mentioning the “G” word.
She left a trail of blood and destruction after bringing “democracy” to Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan in her previous “diplomatic” appointments – it is Armenia’s turn now.
The smiling witch with the bad hairstylist presided over the color revolution in Central Asia several years back… She thinks she can pull another one off again…