On October 9, RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan received Minister of International Development and Minister for La Francophonie of Canada Christian Paradis and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Canada to the Republic of Armenia John Ronald Curie, who are in Armenia to participate in the Conference of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the International Organization of La Francophonie.

Greeting the guests, Minister Hranush Hakobyan emphasized with joy that the subsequent conference of the International Organization of La Francophonie will provide the several high-ranking guests with the opportunity to become familiar with ancient Armenia and expressed more joy for the fact that the guests would have the opportunity to listen to the songs of 92-year-old world famous French-Armenian singer Charles Aznavour.

Hranush Hakobyan expressed gratitude to the Canadian government, namely Mr. Paradis for the generosity that the government shows towards the Armenian community. The minister recalled with gratitude the tremendous efforts of the Canadian authorities and the impressive events that they held on the occasion of the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide. “Although all countries paid their tribute on that anniversary, which was a big anniversary for the Armenians, Canada exceeded all the expectations,” the minister mentioned, adding that Armenian-Canadian relations are at a high level in all sectors, even in the economic sector and voiced hope that Canada and Armenia would help increase the number of Canadian investors, especially since there are successful examples in that sector.

Expressing gratitude for the kind words, Minister Christian Paradis said: “I’m happy to be in Armenia since I know the history of the Armenian people and am aware of their cultural heritage and human attributes. The Armenians of Canada are the wonderful citizens of our country, and we are pleased with the fact that we have managed to create conditions for them to live and work. As a minister of international development, I’m also interested in the development of investments and the economic opportunities.” Christian Paradis also touched upon the key issues facing Syrian-Armenians, mentioning that Canada has also received Syrian-Armenian refugees and that the Canadian government is doing everything possible to provide them with normal living conditions, help them integrate and raise the reputation of the Armenians in Canada to a higher level.

Minister Hranush Hakobyan expressed gratitude for his appreciation of the Armenians and emphasized that Canada is the frontrunner in all issues, including human rights protection.

The minister also expressed the view that all countries need to take steps to eliminate the main reasons for becoming refugees so that the world doesn’t face issues like the issues that have been caused by the flow of thousands of refugees.

During the meeting, the sides touched upon ensuring the continuation of cooperation, the issues facing Syrian-Armenians and the opportunities for the development of social relations.

In the end, Minister Hranush Hakobyan donated gifts symbolizing the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide and Samvel Karapetyan’s multilingual album/study entitled “Genocide after the Genocide” to Christian Paradis.