Frank Pallone: “I would like to switch to another topic tonight, which is totally unrelated to the one that we discussed so far, but I…”

“I would like to switch to another topic tonight, which is totally unrelated to the one that we discussed so far, but I think is very important for my constituents and a million and a half Armenian Americans around the country who I know are very pleased with the election that took place just this past Monday in Armenia for the new President. The voters in Armenia have elected Robert Kocharian as the new President of Armenia. With 99 percent of the ballots from Monday's run-off election counted, Robert Kocharian, currently the prime minister, who has served as acting President since early February, has received approximately 59 percent of the vote and his opponent Karen Demirchian, who led Armenia when it was controlled by the Soviet Union, received about 41 percent of the vote. An estimated 55 percent of eligible voters participated in the run-off election. Mr. Speaker, I think this is significant because this really was a free election in Armenia. President Kocharian, who I have met, and who has been here to the United States, is a free market advocate who has pledged to revitalize Armenia's industrial sector and to track more foreign investment. I believe he is a strong leader, a consensus builder and someone who is committed to democracy and economic development. The election has been judged as peaceful, well-organized and legitimate by the Council of Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States and other international observers.”