John HeffernJohn Heffern meets Ter-Petrosian on Yerevan vote

John Heffern, the U.S. ambassador to Armenia, met with opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian on Thursday to discuss the forthcoming municipal elections in Yerevan.

A statement by Ter-Petrosian’s Armenian National Congress (HAK) said the two men discussed “oversight of the legality of the electoral process” and “cooperation among opposition political forces in that direction.” It said they also spoke about “the possibility of the international community’s monitoring of those elections.”

“Also discussed were issued related to prospects for the peaceful resolution of the Karabakh conflict,” the statement added without elaboration.

The U.S. Embassy in Yerevan issued no statements on the meeting.

The meeting came two days after Ter-Petrosian denounced the West for recognizing President Serzh Sarkisian’s victory in Armenia’s recent disputed presidential election. He specifically cited a congratulatory message that was sent to Sarkisian by U.S. President Barack Obama.

Speaking at an HAK rally in Yerevan, Ter-Petrosian accused Western powers of turning a blind eye to serious fraud in the February 18 presidential ballot for “geopolitical considerations.”

The HAK leader, who served as Armenia’s first president from 1991-1998, has repeatedly voiced similar accusations since returning to active politics more than five years ago. U.S. and European Union officials have insisted that they are committed to supporting Armenia’s democratization.