PRESS RELEASE                                                      
March 12, 2007

Armenia’s Foreign Minister Visits Washington, Meets Secretary Rice

Armenia’s Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian visited Washington, D.C. on March 5, 2007, for meetings with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, members of the US administration, as well as US Congressmen. During these meetings he was accompanied by Ambassador Tatoul Markarian.

Minister Oskanian and Secretary Rice discussed several issues on the Armenia-U.S. bilateral agenda, including trade, the MCC program in Armenia, democratic and economic reforms, and U.S. assistance to Armenia. Following the meeting with the Secretary, Minister Oskanian met with Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and U.S. Minsk Group Co-Chair Matt Bryza. The two discussed Nagorno Karabakh and the upcoming meeting of the ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, in Geneva, on March 14, together with the co-chairs of the Minsk Group.

Later in the day, with the co-chairs of the Congressional Armenian Caucus, Minister Oskanian discussed a wide spectrum of U.S.-Armenian relations. During his visit, the Minister also met with the leaders of Armenian-American advocacy groups in Washington.