(OTTAWA – January 31st, 2022) – Today, the Armenian National Committee of Canada (ANCC) issued the following statement on the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Canada and Armenia;
“On January 31st, 1992, Canada and Armenia officially established diplomatic relations, paving the way to a path of ever-growing bilateral ties rooted in strong people-to-people ties and high-level exchanges.
“Over the past thirty years, both Canada and Armenia have taken important steps in consolidating their relations, through various agreements and commitments that have bolstered and gradually expanded economic, political, cultural and diplomatic relations between Ottawa and Yerevan. Several high-level bilateral visits – culminating in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s official visit to Armenia in October 2018 – have also played a pivotal role in advancing relations between the two countries.
“We are convinced, however, that substantial opportunities to promote further expansion of relations lie ahead and must be observed based on the mutual interests of both nations and the shared values of democracy, justice and regard to human rights.
“While Armenia has maintained an Embassy in Ottawa since 1995, Canada remains the only G7 country that does not have a permanent diplomatic mission in Yerevan, limiting Ottawa’s efforts to increase its footprint in the region and substantially help Armenia address its challenges and consolidate its democratic progress.
“Throughout the last three decades, the ANCC and the entire Armenian-Canadian community have been keenly interested and actively engaged in promoting stronger and more resilient ties between the two countries, placing a strong emphasis on the importance of establishing a Canadian Embassy in Yerevan and helping Armenia increase its resilience and capacity to deter further Turkish-Azerbaijani aggression.
“Based on the very commitment made by the Government of Canada to ‘expand fast and flexible support to fragile democracies and increase Canada’s diplomatic presence in regions of strategic importance,’ we call upon the Government of Canada to take all the necessary measures to support Armenia during these tumultuous times and establish a Canadian Embassy in Yerevan.
“As we mark this milestone, we congratulate both the governments and the people of Canada and Armenia and once again, reiterate our commitment to help further expand and strengthen the ties between the two countries.”
-30-
The ANCC is the largest and the most influential Armenian-Canadian grassroots human rights organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout Canada and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCC actively advances the concerns of the Armenian-Canadian community on a broad range of issues and works to eliminate abuses of human rights throughout Canada and the world.
Contact: Sevag Belian – (613) 235-2622 | [email protected]
