AMBASSADOR'S FAREWELL CALL ON PARLIAMENT SPEAKER

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 YEREVAN 001237 SIPDIS SIPDIS EUR FOR DAS BRYZA AND EUR/CARC E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/08/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV IR AM SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S FAREWELL CALL ON PARLIAMENT SPEAKER TOROSIAN Classified By: Ambassador John M. Evans for reason 1.4 (b, d) Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) Parliament Speaker Torosian told the Ambassador at a September 6 meeting that Armenia was committed to holding democratic elections in 2007 and 2008 and that work on revisions to the electoral code had nearly reached consensus, both among drafters and with international community advisers. The Ambassador pressed Torosian to ensure an early invitation was extended to international observers and asked for the Speaker's support of U.S. efforts to improve the climate in which elections will be held. Torosian expressed support for the Minsk Group efforts toward resolution in N-K and in particular praised DAS Bryza's recent engagement. On Iran, Torosian said Armenia was ready to use its good relations with Iran's leaders to help the international community achieve its goals and reported that the Chairman of Iran's Mejlis would arrive for a visit to Armenia on September 11. End Summary. Appreciation for USG Assistance to Parliament -------------- ¶2. (C) Parliament Speaker Tigran Torosian (Republican Party) used the Ambassador's September 6 farewell call to express appreciation for and satisfaction with USG programs aimed at strengthening Armenia's democratic institutions, and in particular the parliament. Torosian said he looked forward to developing this relationship and hoped USG programs would help transform Armenia into a more-developed, truly multi-party democracy. Ambassador: Finish Work on Election Law -------------- ¶3. (C) The Ambassador pressed Torosian to move quickly to finalize amendments to the electoral code. Torosian said that work was progressing steadily on this subject, but that the final product would likely not be passed until October. Comments from the Council of Europe's Venice Commission were being taken into account, and so were those of other local experts. Council of Europe experts would not arrive in Armenia for the last phase of discussions until late September, Torosian said, and he committed to submitting the draft law to the Parliament for its first reading soon after. The Ambassador noted that while it was the MFA's task to invite OSCE to observe the election, invitations to parliamentary groups usually came from the National Assembly; he urged Torosian to ensure all of the relevant groups were able to observe the elections. Torosian agreed. ¶4. (C) The Ambassador pressed Torosian to work to include the opposition in the work of the parliament. Torosian said that while the formal boycott continued, some opposition members had returned on a limited basis. Torosian said that Armenia had lost much in recent years due to the oppositions lack of participation. He expected that the voters would not reward this behavior: these MPs were elected and were paid a handsome salary to work, and the National Assembly was their place of work. Corruption Hinders Foreign Investment -------------- ¶5. (C) The Ambassador pressed Torosian to seek a role for the parliament in the fight against corruption. He expressed regret that the investment and security climates in Armenia have limited the amount of U.S. investment here. Torosian agreed, and said that while it would be impossible to entirely eradicate corruption, in order to gain the trust of individual citizens and of investors, Armenia's leaders needed to investigate allegations thoroughly and to punish those found guilty. Armenia Appreciates U.S. Leadership on N-K Process -------------- -------------- ¶6. (C) Torosian thanked the USG for its leadership in the Minsk Group process, and agreed with the Ambassador that making public some of the details of the negotiations was a highly productive step. He expressed frustration at Azerbaijan's approach to negotiations. He recalled that just before his productive July 29 meeting with DAS Bryza, Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister had stepped back from discussions about a referendum and had said that all Azerbaijan had agreed to was a "public opinion poll." After Bryza's visit, these statements had ceased. He disagreed with YEREVAN 00001237 002 OF 002 the broadly-held theory that the reason discussions have stalled was to wait out the pre-election period. He claimed that it would be more effective to conduct transparent negotiations during the election period so that the people could have a more direct input. Iran's Parliament Speaker Arrives September 11 -------------- - ¶7. (C) The Ambassador sought Armenia's support for the efforts of the international community to persuade Iran to renew its international commitments, while expressing understanding that Armenia is in a unique position, both politically and geographically. Torosian said that "there are countries in the region which would rather take a more passive role" with Iran, but that Armenia was "willing to use its good relations with Iran to help the international community achieve its goals." He reported to the Ambassador that Gholan Ali Haddad-Adel, Chairman of Iran's Mejlis, would arrive in Yerevan on September 11. The Ambassador pressed Torosian to ensure Armenia used the visit to support the goals of the international community. (Note: We requested, received, and forwarded to EUR/CARC a schedule of Haddad-Adel's two-day visit to Armenia. End Note.) Dealing with Torosian -------------- ¶8. (C) The Republican Party put Torosian, a technocrat placeholder who would not do anything to disrupt the party's plans for the next election, into the Speaker's position, after Artur Baghdasarian's resignation in May. Torosian has shown himself to be ill at ease when meeting U.S. officials for the first time, regardless of their seniority. This nervousness manifests itself in long, rambling paragraphs in which the Speaker lays down markers on almost every issue of bilateral concern and prevents a real dialogue. With each successive meeting, however, this nervousness abates, and Torosian becomes a much more valuable interlocutor. We believe that, with some forther cultivation, he may have potential to become a significant proponent of democratic change. EVANS