US embassy cable - 04YEREVAN1893

UNCLAS YEREVAN 001893 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/PPD MHURLEY AND RJOHANSEN, EUR/CACEN- 
ESIDEREAS 
 
DEPT ALSO PLEASE PASS TO PEACE CORPS 
 
E.O. 12958; N/A 
TAGS: EAID, KPAO, OPRC, PREL, AM, KMRD 
SUBJECT: NEW PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS SWORN IN BY NEW 
U.S. AMBASSADOR 
 
1.  SUMMARY:  On August 23, the Ambassador swore in 51 
new Peace Corps Volunteers for service in Armenia, the 
largest group since the program was established in 
1992.  Foreign Minister Oskanian, who attended the 
ceremony, spoke passionately about the high value of 
the program for Armenia and U.S. - Armenia relations. 
Virtually every media outlet in the country widely and 
positively covered the ceremony, which included 
Armenian-language performances from new Volunteers. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  In his first public act since arriving in Armenia 
on August 21, the Ambassador swore in the 12th group of 
Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) to serve in Armenia. 
This new crop of 51 brings the total number of PCVs on 
active service to 90.  The group will serve in all four 
of Peace Corps Armenia's programs:  Teaching English as 
a Foreign Language, Community Health Education, 
Community Business Development and Environmental 
Education.  Before administering the oath, the 
Ambassador thanked the volunteers for their service, 
congratulated them on completing three months of 
vigorous in-country orientation and safety training, 
and charged them with being good U.S. Ambassadors to 
the various town and villages where they will serve. 
 
3. Attendance at the event was impressive.  In addition 
to FM Oskanian, Minister of Education Sergo Yeritsyan 
and representatives from the Ministries of Trade and 
Economic Development, Health Care, and Nature 
Protection, were present the ceremony. 
 
4.  FM Oskanian conveyed a message of appreciation from 
RA President Robert Kocharian, and expressed particular 
enthusiasm regarding the program.  He said that 
Armenians had much to learn from PCVs, simply by virtue 
of their presence, as they give up their own material 
comforts to serve others and advocate volunteerism as a 
rewarding experience.  He noted that he himself felt 
like a PCV when he made the decision to leave the U.S. 
and return to Armenia following its independence. 
 
5.  As part of the very public event, PCVs demonstrated 
the Armenian language skills they had gained during 
their eleven weeks of training by giving speeches, 
reciting a well-known Armenian poem and singing a 
classic Armenian song.  Predictably, the volunteers won 
over the Armenian audience with their display of 
recognition for the value of Armenian culture. 
 
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Press Coverage 
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6. Virtually every media outlet widely and positively 
covered the swearing-in ceremony.  As this was his 
first public event, all eyes were focused on the 
Ambassador. 
 
7. The combination of a warm event attended by high- 
level GOAM officials, fresh-faced PCVs quoting Armenian 
poets, and the debut of the new U.S. Ambassador who 
peppered his speech with Armenian phrases, generated a 
full 24 hours of extremely positive coverage for Peace 
Corps and U.S. assistance in Armenia. 
 
EVANS