US Ambassador’s Statement distorted by the Armenian Government

On April 25, 2018, the RA Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan’s official website primeminister.am published a press release on the meeting between RA Acting Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan and the US Ambassador in Armenia Richard Mills. The US Ambassador’s remarks were posted on the government’s website, and then deleted, and later edited and published again.

The first statement specifically read that Karen Karapetyan had received the US ambassador and they discussed a number of issues related to the domestic political situation in Armenia. Afterwards, the Prime Minister’s official website cited the US Ambassador’s statement. According to primeminister.am, Richard Mills said: “I understand that these demonstrations and acts of civil disobedience are a violation of the law, and the government must ensure public order and security as best as possible. I am convinced that the way to democracy or strengthening democracy is not by electing the prime minister on the streets during the demonstration. “

About two hours later, the publication was removed from the official website of the government. About half an hour later, the press release was published again without the quote from Richard Mills.

Obviously, the government misinterpreted Miller’s words, which were favorable to Karen Karapetyan, but after heated discussions on the Facebook social network, it was edited.

P.S. Later, the US Embassy made a clarification, which read: “The acting Prime Minister’s Office and the US Embassy note with regret that in today’s press release by the government staff, the words attributed to Ambassador Mills, as well as the comments and the position of the US government is a wrong translation. As the US Embassy has previously mentioned, the right of peaceful assembly and free expression of the people of Armenia is guaranteed by the Constitution of Armenia. We are convinced that these rights should be fully respected and the formation of a new government should be the result of conscientious negotiations.”