Prime Minister Sarkisian Commends “Useful Dialogue” with RFE’s Armenian Service
(Yerevan, Armenia) In a visit to RFE’s Yerevan bureau, Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian praised RFE’s Armenian Service for “exposing the country’s problems and shortcomings” and called it “an integral part” of Armenia’s life.
“You advocate the values that prevail in the world today, such as democracy and freedom of speech,” Sarkisian said. “You try to expose problems that exist in Armenia, the government tries to respond to this criticism, and this dialogue is very useful for the country.”
Sarkisian visited RFE’s Armenian Service, locally known as Radio Azatutyun, on May 7, a holiday still marked in some former Soviet Bloc countries as Radio Day in honor of the 19th-century Russian radio pioneer Alexander Popov.
The prime minister said he listens to RFE’s Armenian Service programs, but added that he hoped democratic advances in the country could one day mean the station would no longer be needed.
A video report of Sarkisian’s visit (in Armenian) is available at http://www.azatutyun.am/video/18596.html.
RFE’s Armenian Service has been a consistent and trusted provider of independent information in Armenia for over 50 years. It has won numerous awards including the “Silver Microphone” award presented by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the British Council. The Armenian Service’s website is one of the leading internet news sites in Armenia and among Armenians abroad.
RFE is a private and independent international news organization whose programs — radio, Internet, and television — reach influential audiences in 21 countries, including Russia, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the republics of Central Asia. It is funded by the U.S. Congress through the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG).