In a congratulatory letter to President Barack Obama sent on Friday, President Serzh Sarkisian reaffirmed his stated commitment to deepening Armenia’s ties with the United States and praised “growing American involvement” in the Armenian economy.
“We deeply cherish our friendship with the United States and are pleased that through the joint efforts we have elevated our bilateral partnership to a qualitatively new level,” Sarkisian wrote in the Independence Day message made public by his office.
“We attach great importance to the deepening of the multifaceted Armenian-American cooperation and value your assistance aimed at the success of the undertaken reforms and establishment of a greater democracy in Armenia; we also welcome the growing American involvement in our economy,” he said.
Sarkisian also praised the important U.S. role in long-running international efforts to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He expressed hope that Washington will carry on with its “active mediation.”
In a similar message to Obama in July 2013, Sarkisian declared that U.S.-Armenian relations are now closer than ever before and serve as a “strong prerequisite” for Armenia’s security and economic development. He wrote to the U.S. president less than two months before unexpectedly deciding to make Armenia part of a new Russian-led alliance of ex-Soviet states. John Heffern, the U.S. ambassador in Yerevan, said afterwards that Sarkisian’s U-turn will have no fundamental impact on U.S.-Armenian relations.
Incidentally, Sarkisian visited Heffern’s residence in Yerevan on Friday to personally congratulate the envoy on the U.S. national holiday. The presidential press service did not report other details of their conversation.