“I identified this as a priority because many of the Armenians with whom I meet – even some people who have visited or lived in the United States in the past – have told us they do not understand U.S. policies. This is a challenging battle in many ways, given the realities of the media environment in Armenia,” during American Chamber of Commerce of Armenia’s event, U.S. ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills.
He noted that Armenians have limited exposure to U.S. and Western news sources, and even though Internet penetration is increasing every year, facilitating access to U.S. media outlets, many Armenians lack the necessary English skills to take advantage of this. The ambassador has spoken to groups such as yours and at several universities; American staff at the Embassy have partnered with alumni to discuss various foreign policy issues at our American Corners, “I’d be interested in hearing what your thoughts are, how you think we are doing and how we can do better. If you think expanding understanding of U.S. actions in the world is a worthwhile goal, I encourage you to follow us on Facebook and Twitter, comment on our posts, and share them with your contacts.
To sum up, I am proud of the efforts my Embassy has undertaken in the last 15 months to advance these four priority areas. I think our decision to focus on specific areas has been beneficial, for it allows us to concentrate the various tools and resources available to different sections and agencies within the Embassy and challenged me and my staff to design creative and complementary programs that can make a difference in areas that impact everyday Armenians every single day. We’ve helped create jobs, clinch new investments, and start conversations between U.S. and Armenian businesses, and we’ve brought American experts to liaise with Armenian government officials and counterparts in areas where U.S. expertise can be helpful. As we move forward, however, there is still much room for improvement.”
To sum up, I am proud of the efforts my Embassy has undertaken in the last 15 months to advance these four priority areas. I think our decision to focus on specific areas has been beneficial, for it allows us to concentrate the various tools and resources available to different sections and agencies within the Embassy and challenged me and my staff to design creative and complementary programs that can make a difference in areas that impact everyday Armenians every single day. We’ve helped create jobs, clinch new investments, and start conversations between U.S. and Armenian businesses, and we’ve brought American experts to liaise with Armenian government officials and counterparts in areas where U.S. expertise can be helpful. As we move forward, however, there is still much room for improvement.”
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Referring to U.S. President Donald Trump, Richard Mills said, “I want to mention that with a new U.S. president in office, this is obviously a time of transition and change, and with change can come opportunity. I can tell you that whenever we have a new administration, the new team on board has lots of questions, and it is our job at the U.S. Embassy in Armenia – working in tandem with our Washington-based colleagues at the State Department – to provide the members of the new Administration with background and information so they can fully appreciate the contours and nuances of the U.S.-Armenia relationship, the importance of our interests in the South Caucasus region, and the depth of friendship that our two countries enjoy”.
