Congress legislative supporters of Armenia on Friday, December 14 congratulated acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on the free and fair conduct of Armenia’s December 9 parliamentary election, the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) reports.

In a letter, Senators Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) joined with Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ), Dave Trott (R-MI), Jackie Speier (D-CA), and David Valadao (R-CA) and Caucus Vice-Chairs Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) to praise Armenia’s “remarkable change in its government through peaceful and democratic means.”

They stressed that the election represented “another resounding victory for advocates of a free and fair electoral process and ongoing democratic reforms.” In their letter to the Prime Minister, the legislators pledged to “continue to support your nation in its steadfast pursuit of regional security and economic prosperity. We will continue to identify opportunities to aid Armenia’s efforts to diversify its economy, strengthen its trade ties with countries like the United States, and continue to act as a safe haven for religious minorities fleeing persecution in the Middle East. We are proud of the strong bilateral relationship between our two countries and look forward to bolstering our historic ties and friendship.”

“We appreciate this strong expression of Congressional support for Armenia’s remarkable progress, and are, in this spirit, working on a bipartisan basis with legislators in the House and Senate to pivot off of these free and fair elections to upgrade the U.S.-Armenia strategic partnership – driving higher level political dialogue, expanded trade and investment, and mutually beneficial cooperation on peacekeeping operations,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.

Earlier this week, as the Senate Foreign Relations Committee convened to approve Lynne Tracy’s nomination as U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, Sen. Menendez welcomed Armenia’s free and fair elections, noting, “Armenia and the Caucasus region will continue to be vital to regional and global security. According to the OSCE, Armenia’s elections over the weekend met international standards. I look forward to supporting the government’s efforts to build strong democratic institutions, a vibrant Armenian economy, and oppose any efforts to violate Armenia’s sovereignty.”