Canada and Armenia officially established relations in 1991 and relations between the countries have been cordial and strong ever since, with significant advancements since 2017. In 1995, Armenia established its embassy in Ottawa. However, to this day, Canada does not maintain a permanent diplomatic mission in Yerevan, administrating its diplomatic activities through its embassy in Moscow. Despite the substantial growth in the bilateral ties between the two countries, Canada remains the only G7 country that is not permanently represented in Armenia.
Both countries maintain a deep and comprehensive cooperation within international organizations such the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and most notable the Organization of La Francophonie.
Since 1991, high level bilateral visits have taken between the two countries with the most notable one being Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s official bilateral visit in October 2018.
Canada and Armenia already have a double-taxation treaty and an Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement, along with several other pro-business bilateral accords and agreements in place. Additionally, Armenia and Canada have a GSP regime. Throughout the last few years, trade between Canada and Armenia has diversified and increased exponentially, with many Canadian businesses making considerable investments in Armenia’s mineral extraction industry and other industries, such as energy, tourism, pharmaceuticals and human resource development. However, what remains missing is a comprehensive trade framework, which could substantially ease the flow of investments and trade between the two countries.
Internationally, Canada has always been at the forefront of promoting democracy and social justice. During Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s historic bilateral visit to Armenia, the Prime Minister announced the establishment of the “Arnold Chan Initiative for Democracy in Armenia”, a funding package that aims to provide assistance to civil society groups that promote stronger democratic values and uphold important social justice issues such as women’s empowerment and education.
Today, Canada and Armenia maintain a well-established and strong bilateral relationship, based on the ideals of mutual respect, international cooperation and regard to human rights and democracy. The Armenian National Committee of Canada and the entire Armenian-Canadian community highly prioritize these relations and continue to advocate for and invest in a more enhanced Canada-Armenia ties.
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