Armenian, Canadian Foreign Ministries hold first political consultations

(Armradio) – On September 21, the first political consultations between the Foreign Ministries of Armenia and Canada were held in Ottawa. The Armenian side was represented by Paruyr Hovhannisyan, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia and the Canadian side by Deputy Foreign Minister Sandra McCardell.

The interlocutors discussed issues on the implementation of the report by the special envoy Stéphane Dion on supporting democracy in Armenia. Both sides highlighted the importance of Canada’s decision to establish the Embassy in Armenia for the further development and expansion of Armenian-Canadian friendly relations. The cooperation within international organizations was also discussed.

Regional security problems and urgent issues of the international agenda were touched upon. In this context, Paruyr Hovhannisyan briefed upon Azerbaijan’s recent aggression against the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia and its consequences, the efforts of partner countries towards achieving and maintaining ceasefire, as well as the current situation around Nagorno-Karabakh.

Within the framework of the visit, the Deputy Foreign Minister also had meetings with Deputy Foreign Minister of Canada Cindy Termorshuizen, Deputy Minister of International Trade David Morrison, Chairman of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade of the Senate of Canada  Peter Beam, Parliamentary Secretary to the Foreign Minister Rob Oliphant and Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Foreign and Defense Policy Jordan Zed.

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs also met with the members of the Canada-Armenia Inter-parliamentary Friendship Group. Paruyr Hovhannisyan delivered a lecture on Armenia’s foreign policy at Carleton University in Ottawa.