Armenian National Committee of Canada
130 Albert St., Suite 1007
Ottawa, ON
KIP 5G4
Tel. (613) 235-2622 Fax (613) 238-2622
national.office@anc-canada.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 14,2006

Contact: Roupen Kouyoumjian
Tel. (613) 235-2622

Canada-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group Established

Ottawa – The Canada-Armenia Preliminary Friendship (CAPF) for the 39th
Parliament was established at a meeting in the House of Commons today.

House of Commons and Canadian Senate members were invited by MP Gary
Goodyear (Conservative-Cambridge) to attend the founding meeting and
elect a new executive for CAPF. So far 32 members of Parliament and
Senators have joined CAPF.

In his opening remarks Goodyear thanked MPs and Senators and said:
"Your presence demonstrates your support for the positive relationship
that exists between Armenia and Canada. As you know, our Prime
Minister recently officially recognized the Armenian Genocide of
1915 in Parliament. We believe that this was a positive step toward
healing the wounds of the past and paving the road for a peaceful
and prosperous relationship between Canada and Armenia."

Afterwards, Goodyear called upon MP Derek Lee
(Liberal-Scarborough-Rouge River) to preside over the election of
the CAPF executive.

The following members were elected to the executive:
Gary Goodyear, Chairman
Nicole Demers (Bloc Quebecois, Laval), Vice-President
Jim Karygiannis (Liberal, Scarborough-Agincourt),
Vice-President
Alexa McDonough (NDP, Halifax), Vice-President
Raymonde Folco (Liberal, Laval-Les Iles), Secretary

The Members authorized the newly elected executive to fill in the
vacant post of Treasurer, Membership and two Directors at a later date.

In his "thank-you" remarks, Goodyear said: "Canada’ s know-how
and experience is much needed in Armenia. Canada should stand in
solidarity with Armenia and reward its people for their resolve
and commitment to the principles of democracy, free market economy,
and human rights. Furthermore, Canada should establish diplomatic
presence in Yerevan, the capital of the Republic of Armenia. Canada’s
diplomatic presence will have a pivotal role in enhancing our country’s
image in the region."

"By forming this friendship group we send a clear message to
the Armenian people that they are not alone, that Canada and the
international community will stand by them to overcome the current
difficult transitional period," he concluded.

Arman Agopian, the Charge d’ affairs of the Embassy of Armenia,
thanked the Canadian parliamentarians for their support and commitment
to foster and enhance strong and positive bi-lateral relationship
between Canada and Armenia. He also invited the members of CAPF to
visit Armenia to better understand and appreciate Armenia and the
Armenian people.

CAPF new president invited Aris Babikian, executive director of the
Armenian National Committee of Canada (ANCC), to relay the message of
the Canadian-Armenian Community. Babikian said that the establishment
of CAPF marked another milestone for ANCC and the Canadian-Armenian
community. He said that he was gratified to see "so many old friends
of ANCC accepted to join CAPF in addition to new members."

He pledged ANCC unwavering support to CAPF to achieve its mission
and its goals.

MP Lee said that ANCC support is "highly valuable for CAPF’s
success." He noted that many parliamentary friendship groups are
created during the lifetime of a parliament. "Most of them are
dormant and inactive. The support of the Armenian community will
insure CAPF’s productivity."

Senator Grafstein emphasized the importance of economic incentives
to foster peace, prosperity and harmony in the region.

At the conclusion of the meeting, ANCC hosted a reception for CAPF
members and Armenian Embassy representatives. The ANCC contingent was
headed by Krikor Der Ghazarian, Jean Meguerditchian, and Paul Douzjian.

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The ANCC is the largest and the most influential Canadian-Armenian
grassroots political 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 Canadian-Armenian community on a broad range
of issues.

Regional Chapters
Montreal – Laval – Ottawa – Toronto – Hamilton – Cambridge –
St. Catharines – Windsor – Vancouver