Azernews.Az

US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza and the European Union envoy on South Caucasus Peter Semneby have held meetings in the Armenian capital Yerevan.
During talks with the country's officials last week, the two called on the Armenian government to cancel the state of emergency announced after the recent presidential elections that were followed by unrest. The recent skirmishes on the Armenia-Azerbaijan frontline were discussed as well.
In a meeting of Armenian President Robert Kocharian with the deputy assistant secretary, discussions focused on ways out of the post-election crisis. Kocharian said his government was responsible for maintaining stability and public order. He added that the steps taken to calm the tensions were necessitated by the challenging situation.
The February 19 presidential election was labeled by the Armenian opposition as fraudulent. Thousands of demonstrators protested for 10 days after the vote. The protests were marred by heavy clashes.
Bryza said the United States was closely following the developments in Armenia. He said the state of emergency should not last long and called for directing all the efforts to addressing the problem. At the same time, the State Department official agreed that the measure represented means of easing tension and restoring order in the country, which was essential.
The US government delegated Bryza to Armenia to study the situation firsthand by getting feedback from both sides and to seek ways out of the predicament.
The EU envoy met with Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian. The two stressed that all key steps should be taken to urgently address the crisis. They also emphasized that maintaining stability in Armenia played the role of a guarantee for the country's development and further implementation of regional programs.
The EU has indicated on its website that it was perturbed over the tensions that followed the presidential election. The organization called for repealing the state of emergency and releasing the persons detained during the mass protests.
Canada has condemned the arbitrariness in Armenia. Its foreign ministry said in a statement that the state of emergency should be cancelled. Minister Maxime Bernier urged the country's authorities to honor freedom of expression.
World Armenians have come out against the violent dispersal of protests after the election.
The Armenian community in the United States staged a rally participated in by thousands in Los Angeles to condemn the use of force against demonstrators in Yerevan.
The protesters burned the pictures of Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian who won the election and a group of them protested outside his brother Alexander Sarkisian's home.
The outraged demonstrators pledged to continue protesting until their voices were heard. Armenians from other cities across California joined the protests.
The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), in a statement, called on Armenian authorities to put an end to violence. The Union of Armenians in Russia has followed suit.
The protests held in the U.S. should be considered by the Armenian government as an alarm signal. Sarkisian could face severe consequences in the future if he is deprived of the Armenian community's backing, as US Armenians are providing the most political and financial support to Yerevan.