The ANCA-WR delegation that includes California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounelakis with Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan on July 29
Meets with Armenia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister
A delegation of officials from various Western states, led by the Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region arrived in Armenia Sunday and began meeting with Armenian government officials, among them Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan and Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan on Monday.
The ANCA-WR-led delegation includes California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis; Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger and her chief of staff Anna Mouradian; Arizona State Senators Paul Boyer and Otoniel “Tony” Navarrete; Colorado State Senator Dominick Moreno; and Colorado State Representative Daneya Esgar.
The ANCA-WR Board chairwoman Nora Hovsepian is accompanied by fellow board members Sako Berberian and Lina Davidian, as well as ANCA-WR’s Community Development Coordinator Simon Maghakyan.
On Monday, the delegation met with Avinyan, the deputy prime minister, who stressed that Armenia attaches great importance to the comprehensive expansion of partnership with the United States, highlighting the relations with different states, particularly California.
California Lieutenant Governor Kounalakis said that she was happy to be in Armenia, especially into consideration the democratic transformations taking place in the country following the velvet revolution.
The role the Armenian-American community plays in advancing and strengthening U.S.-Armenia relations were stressed during the meeting.
The ANCA-WR delegation meets with Armenia’s Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan
The sides touched on advancing Armenia’s relations with the states of California, Colorado and Arizona in the fields of science and education, including the opportunity to intensify student exchange programs and particularly in public administration and high technologies.
Avinyan pointed to the positive experiences of the Public Policy Program implemented by the USC Institute for Armenian Studies and the Los Angeles City Council.
The sides discussed steps necessary for activating economic relations, including the opportunity of opening trade offices in Armenia with various U.S. States. Avinyan briefed the delegation on the advancement in Armenia’s IT development, saying that cooperation with the U.S. can advance in that arena.
The delegation also met with Foreign Minister Mnatsakanyan, who in welcoming its members, emphasized that relations with the U.S. have been and remain one of Armenia’s key foreign policy priorities. The sided said the recent dynamics of friendly ties and partnerships between Armenia and the United States were positive.
Mnatsakanyan briefed the delegation on the latest developments in Armenia, the course of implementation of the government’s reforms and the country’s foreign policy priorities. He also presented Armenia’s position on and approaches to the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Supervisor Barger presented Avinyan and Mnatsakanyan with a proclamation from the LA County Board of Supervisors.