PRESS RELEASE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of Australia & New Zealand
10 Macquarie Street
Chatswood NSW 2067
AUSTRALIA
Contact: Laura Artinian
Tel: (02) 9419-8056
Fax: (02) 9904-8446
Email: armenian@idx.com.au

11 October 2005

RA FOREIGN MINISTER MEETS WITH HIS AUSTRALIAN COUNTERPART

Sydney, Australia – His Excellency Mr Vartan Oskanian, Minister for Foreign
Affairs of the Republic of Armenia met with his Australian counterpart the
Hon. Alexander Downer MP yesterday in Canberra to discuss the prospect of
future relations between their respective countries. During the meeting,
the RA Foreign Minister familiarised Mr Downer on Armenia’s relations with
its neighbouring countries and both Minsters observed the possibilities of
strengthening bilateral relations and establishing trade and economic ties.

Throughout the course of the day, Mr Oskanian met with a number of
Government Ministers and Senators including the Hon Gary Hardgrave MP,
Minister Assisting the Prime Minister and Minister for Vocational and
Technical Education; the Hon Joe Hockey MP, Minister for Human Services;
Senator the Hon Sandy MacDonald, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for
Trade; and Senator Marise Payne, Chairman of the Armenian-Australian
Parliamentary Friendship Group.

In the evening, Mr Oskanian attended a dinner at Parliament House given by
the Australian Foreign Minister. Among Government Ministers and fellow
parliamentarians was Attorney General, the Hon Philip Ruddock MP who was the
first Australian Government Minister to visit Armenia in 2003 and the Hon
Joe Hockey MP who will make an official visit to Armenia in November. Also
at the invitation of the Minister was a group of Armenian-Australians that
included His Eminence Archbishop Aghan Baliozian, Primate of the Diocese of
the Armenian Church of Australia and New Zealand. The RA Foreign Minister
returned to Sydney the same evening.

Today, Mr Oskanian attended a breakfast at Parliament House in New South
Wales hosted by Ms Gladys Berejiklian MP, Member for Willoughby. He later
met with the Hon John Watkins MP, Deputy Premier of NSW, Minister for
Transport, and Minister for State Development.

After a busy scheduled morning, the RA Minister enjoyed a relaxing luncheon
cruise on Sydney Harbour departing Sydney in the afternoon to continue his
official duties in the Asia-Pacific region that will see him meet with his
counterparts in Indonesia and Singapore over the coming days.