United States President Joe Biden has invited Armenia to a summit on democracy, which, according to a White House announcement, is to take place next month.
Among Armenia’s neighbours, only Georgia is on the list of invitees. The list, published by the American magazine Politico, includes neither Azerbaijan, nor Turkey, nor Iran. From the former Soviet Union, apart from the Baltic states, only four countries have been invited: Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. Besides Russia, China has also not received an invitation.
Earlier this year, in his very first speeches after taking office, Biden stated that he was determined to do his utmost to strengthen democracy in the world, in order to counter the ambitions of Russia and China. “America is ready to once again take on leadership in the world and will henceforth not hesitate to adopt a tougher stance towards autocratic countries, including Russia and China. I conveyed this message to the Russian president during our very first telephone conversation,” the US president had declared.
This is the first conference convened by Joe Biden on this topic, which, according to the official announcement, is to take place on December 9-10. It will be attended by leaders of governments, civil society and the private sector from about 90 countries, as the White House noted, to jointly respond to the challenges threatening democracy.
On the agenda of the two-day discussions are, in particular, three key issues: how to counter authoritarianism, fight corruption and promote respect for human rights.
“Today democracy faces serious problems not only in newly independent, but also in established countries,” the White House stated, noting that the challenges are not only domestic but also external. Internally, governments fail to ensure a fair and stable economic environment and political progress, as a result of which leaders who call into question democratic norms and institutions gain strength. On the other hand, the White House notes that autocratic leaders are going beyond the borders of their countries to undermine democracies in other countries, by targeting journalists and human rights defenders and interfering in elections:
