On November 9, Armenia’s Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Narek Mkrtchyan received the delegation led by Alexander Sokolovsky, Deputy Director of the Washington Office of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Building on a nearly 30-year partnership USAID, Narek Mkrtchyan emphasized the effectiveness of joint programs in Armenia’s democracy, economic and social development.
The Minister particularly noted that the cooperation with USAID is proceeding in a number of directions: labor rights, issues of persons with disabilities and children, the fight against human trafficking, etc. During the working meetings that have already started with the agency, the details of the cooperation with the Ministry are presented and discussed.
“We are building a long-term effective partnership with USAID in the field of labor and social protection, which I think has great potential for rapprochement and development. I hope that as a result of today's meeting, we will contribute to increasing the effectiveness of cooperation, as our common goal is the same - full realization of the rights of vulnerable groups, promotion, sustainable employment, improvement of social services,” said Narek Mkrtchyan.
Besides, during the meeting, the implementation of assistance programs for people displaced from Artsakh because of the war in 2020 and residing in the Republic of Armenia was highlighted, details of current measures were introduced, and options for possible cooperation in this direction were discussed.
Alexander Sokolovsky, highly appreciating the process and results of the jointly implemented programs, highlighted the continuous work on the previously discussed issues.
“We have a high level of cooperation with the Government of the Republic of Armenia. I reaffirm the position of the US Government to support the development of democracy and the economy of Armenia,” Alexander Sokolovsky said during the meeting.
The parties agreed to continue working meetings on current programs and to discuss the possibility of further development of cooperation.
