US Ambassador Lynne Tracy travelled to Syunik for first-hand information on effects of pandemic, armed conflict –statement

The US Embassy has issued clarifications in connection with the recent reports on Ambassador Lynne Tracy’s visit to Armenia’s southern Syunik region.

Below is the text of its official statement:

This week, US Ambassador to Armenia, Lynne M. Tracy, traveled through the Syunik region to learn first-hand from local officials and U.S. Embassy program partners how the region has been affected by the twin crises of the pandemic and conflict this past year. She also met with the recipients of several U.S. government grant projects to discuss how the Embassy can continue to maintain these partnerships to support the region’s recovery and development.

From Sunday, April 18-Thursday, April 22, Ambassador Tracy traveled to Sisian, Meghri, Kapan, and Goris, meeting with the Governor of Syunik, Melikset Poghosyan; the Mayor of Meghri, Mkhitar Zakaryan; the Mayor of Goris, Arush Arushanyan; and the Mayor of Sisian, Artur Sargsyan. She discussed how the U.S. government is providing humanitarian assistance to those displaced by the conflict and shared ways in which we continue to support the region’s development.

In Sisian, she also visited the Sisian Adult Education Center Foundation to meet with the beneficiaries of a U.S. Embassy Democracy Commission Small Grant project in the Hatsavan community. The project helped community members learn fund-raising skills so they could raise money to build a playground for the children of Hatsavan.

In Meghri, the Ambassador met with partners at a USAID-supported Farm Service Center, which is helping more than half of Meghri’s farmers by giving them access to high quality supplies and services. She also visited USAID partner Haykush Hovsepyan and her family at their dry fruit production facility. USAID support is helping the family produce and sell dry fruit, ensuring increased cash flow into the community. Also while in Meghri, the Ambassador met with the Border Control Post Commander and visited the St. Hovhannes Church, a recipient of a $500,000 Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation grant which restored its historic frescoes.

In Kapan, the Ambassador was pleased to have the opportunity to meet with a group of alumni of U.S. government exchange programs to learn about their experiences in the United States and about how they have been doing back home in Armenia during this difficult year.

Finally in Goris, Ambassador Tracy met with families displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh and the community social worker and USAID project partners that have been assisting them and others affected by the conflict. During her visit Ambassador Tracy reaffirmed that the United States will continue to provide assistance to improve the lives of Armenians.

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