U.S. Ambassador Visits Syunik Marz

May 18-20, 2009

U.S. Ambassador Marie L. Yovanovitch visited Syunik Marz from May 18 to May 20. She met with the mayors of Goris, Sissian, and Kapan to learn about the current social and economic situation and to discuss U.S. Government assistance programs in the region.

In Kapan, the Ambassador toured the Kapan American Corner, located in the City Library, where she participated in a roundtable with local women entrepreneurs. She also met with Peace Corps volunteers and representatives of the Syunik Civil Society Development Center funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). In Goris, the Ambassador held meetings with civil society representatives and Peace Corps volunteers and gave an interview to Last TV station´s program "Good Evening Goris." In Sissian, she met with Sissian school teachers and visited the Migration Center funded by a USAID/Eurasia Partnership grant. She toured Armen Andreasian Ltd, where she met with employees and learned about the mining operation. The Ambassador also had a lunch and roundtable discussion with NGO leaders.

On her trip, the Ambassador visited Noravank Monastery, Tatev Monastery and the Tatev Scholarly Center, the last of which has been partially restored with support from the Ambassador´s Fund for Cultural Preservation.