A reception was held at the Consulate General of Armenia in Los Angeles in honor of the State Minister of the Republic of Artsakh Artak Beglaryan. The reception was attended by leaders of ecclesiastical, political, cultural, business, and benevolent organizations of the Armenian community of California as well as community members.

Elected U.S. officials also came to meet with the Artsakh State Minister. Among them were California State Senators Anthony Portantino and María Elena Durazo, California State Assemblymembers Adrin Nazarian and Laura Friedman, Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Krekorian, and representatives of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

Consul General of Armenia in Los Angeles Ambassador Armen Baibourtian invited H.E. Archbishop Pargev Martirosyan for a prayer to begin the reception with an invocation and deliver remarks.

Welcoming the guests, Ambassador Baibourtian stressed the importance of the visit of Artsakh State Minister Artak Beglaryan and noted that it is a good opportunity to get acquainted with the current situation in Artsakh, its future programs, and to outline the important role of the Armenian community of California in these programs.

The State Minister presented to the Armenian-American community the five main pillars to build the future of Artsakh: stable security, improved demography, sustainable economic development, high-quality education, and effective governance. State Minister Beglaryan spoke about the plans in the framework of those five pillars and the role of the Armenian Diaspora in it.

Speeches were also delivered by the Executive Director/CEO of the Armenian Missionary Association of America (AMAA) Zaven Khanjian, who was also the co-host of the reception along with the Consul General. Further speeches were delivered by Senior Advisor to the State Minister David Akopyan as well as elected state and local officials present at the event. They presented certificates of recognition to the State Minister of the Republic of Artsakh and assured their continued support and commitment to stand by the people of Artsakh.

At the end of the reception, Ambassador Baibourtian presented a Certificate of Appreciation to Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of America -Western Region (ANCA-WR) Armen Sahakyan for his many years of dedicated service, professionalism, and effective cooperation with the Consulate General of Armenia as well as on the occasion of completing his mission in California and decision to move to Armenia.