On July 16, Minister Vartan Oskanian received US Charge d’Affaires, Ambassador Rudolph Perina.

Minister Oskanian congratulated Mr. Perina on his appointment, noting that the Ambassador’s experience and excellent knowledge of Armenia and the region would be invaluable assets in carrying out his high mission.

Minister Oskanian and Ambassador Perina agreed that it was in the interest of both countries for the US to be represented at the ambassadorial level. At the same time, the Minister stressed that, at the present stage, the appointment of Mr. Perina would be a very positive step in reinforcing the existing high level of bilateral cooperation.

The issues discussed during the meeting included the bilateral Armenia-US agenda, regional matters and Armenia’s relations with its neighbors.

Rudolph Perina noted that the American side was closely following the latest developments around Radio Free Europe and expressed hope, that the recently commenced negotiations would bring forward a solution acceptable for all sides concerned.

The Minister and the US Charge d'Affaires, who was the Minsk Group US co-chair several years ago, also discussed the present state of the Karabakh negotiations process.

Outgoing Charge d'Affaires Anthony Godfrey also participated in the meeting.