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Armenia after the Election

Thursday, April 17, 2008, 4:00 am
Witnesses
Mr. Matthew Bryza
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia
Department of State
Mr. Vigen A. Sargsyan
Assistant to the President
Republic of Armenia
Mr. Arman Grigorian
Adviser
Office of Former President Levon Ter-Petrossian, Leader of the Armenian Opposition

Since the February 19 presidential election, Armenia has experienced its most serious political crisis in over a decade. The March 1 confrontation between the authorities and supporters of the opposition resulted in at least eight fatalities and the imposition of a state of emergency, causing serious damage to Armenia's reputation. Although Prime Minister Serzh Sarkissian has been elected President, some opposition leaders refuse to recognize the outcome and government opposition relations remain tense. The state of emergency has been lifted but restrictions on freedom of assembly continue in effect.

The hearing will focus on the ramifications of these developments for Armenia and the United States, especially the ongoing Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) negotiations on Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia s qualifications for assistance from the Millennium Challenge Account.

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