U.S. ambassador to Richard Mills during American Chamber of Commerce of Armenia’s event outlined four priorities that he had set for himself and Embassy over the tenure of his ambassadorship. Ambassador also referred to Nagorno Karabakh conflict noting that the lack of a peaceful resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflicts diverts precious resources.
“When I think back on the past 15 months – that is, the period between my first speech before the Chamber in November 2015 and my address to you today – it is sobering to realize that in that relatively short space of time, we have witnessed events that have changed Armenia’s political and economic landscape, as well as demonstrated this country’s resiliency in the face of tragedy. The more time I spend in Armenia, and certainly in the tragic aftermath of last April’s fighting, the more I realize how much the lack of a peaceful resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflicts diverts precious resources – both Armenian and those provided from Armenia’s international and diaspora friends – from our shared goals and, frankly, the priorities I and my Embassy have set for ourselves,” said Richard Mills.
He added, “The lack of a resolution to Nagorno-Karabakh fuels corruption because it keeps Armenia’s borders closed and, when borders are closed, it is easier for powerful business people and others to control economic markets and close off competition.”
According to the ambassador priority for US government and for him will continue to give to achieving a peaceful settlement for Nagorno-Karabakh’s future. Referring
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Referring to the 15-day standoff in Erebuni last year, Richard Mills said that Armenia’s law enforcement struck a good balance in terms of securing Armenians’ safety and security around an active site, while defending Armenians’ rights to peacefully protest, “However, we were deeply concerned by the credible reports of excessive use of force used by the police against unarmed protestors and journalists on July 29-30. We made our concerns clear at that time, noting that such actions violated press freedom and the rights of Armenian citizens to the freedom of expression and of peaceful assembly. Although some police officers have been punished for their actions on that day, more could and should have been done in this regard. Serious crimes occurred the evening of July 29-30 and it is important that those responsible be held to account”.
The ambassador considers alarming another problem, “Another area of concern which the fallout of Erebuni highlighted, has been the Government’s use of pre-trial detention. While it is true that pre-trial detention is used in legal systems around the world, including in the United States, it should be a last resort, employed only when there are no other feasible alternatives to ensure that a suspect won’t flee or interfere with the ongoing investigation.
It should never be used as a punitive tool to keep citizens from exercising their rights of free speech and assembly, and when pre-trial detention is ordered by the court, the reasons for doing so need to be fully transparent and grounded in a strong legal basis. I will be frank that in the case of Erebuni and other politically sensitive cases this year, we are concerned by the pre-trial detentions of several defendants who participated in the demonstrations or are suspected of giving non-violent support to the militants, but were not involved in the actual armed seizure of the police station or in the deaths of the policemen.
Let me be clear, my intention in mentioning these cases is not to prejudge their guilt or innocence, but to emphasize that each pre-trial detention decision must be based on a strong, fully transparent legal rationale. And the burden – again – is on the authorities to make these bases evident, or to proceed to an open trial as quickly as possible.”
