A 15-member Congressional Delegation from the U.S. House of Representatives headed by Chairman David Dreier met with President Serzh Sargsyan and Speaker of Parliament Samvel Nikoyan on February 19.

The Congressmen visited Armenia as representatives of the House Democracy Partnership (HDP), a bipartisan, 20-member commission established by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2005 to support the development of independent, democratic legislatures.  This was the second visit of the HDP to Armenia.

President Sargsyan hosted a dinner for the delegation, which included five members of the U.S. House of Representatives, and U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Heffern.

At the dinner, President Serzh Sargsyan noted that he values ongoing contacts with the friends of Armenia in the U.S. Congress whose support has had its considerable impact on the establishment and development of democracy in Armenia as well as on the preservation of stability in our region. 
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and the United States, and I am glad that we are celebrating this jubilee on the highest level,” President Serzh Sargsyan said.

Congressman Dreier, Chair of the House Democracy Partnership, highlighted the importance of the upcoming parliamentary elections to the bilateral relationship and urged the government and all the political parties to “do everything in their power to ensure free, fair, and credible elections.”  .

The Delegation included Rep. David Dreier (R-CA), Rep. James Moran (D-VA), Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC), Rep. Adrian Smith (R-NE), Rep. Kenny Marchant (R-TX), Reverend Patrick Conroy, Chaplain of the House of Representatives, and staff.