President Vahagn Khachaturyan's official visit to the Eastern Republic of Uruguay

Within the framework of his official visit to the Eastern Republic of Uruguay, President of the Republic of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan met with the representatives of the Armenian community in Uruguay.

President Vahagn Khachaturyan introduced the details of the current realities and developments in the South Caucasus region and touched upon the plans and steps taken by the government to address the socio-economic and humanitarian issues of the forcibly displaced population from Nagorno-Karabakh. In his speech, the President of the Republic of Armenia addressed the issues related to the current overall issues in the domestic and foreign political, economic and social situation in Armenia.

During the meeting, President Vahagn Khachaturyan talked with the representatives of the community and answered their questions in a frank atmosphere.

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President of the Eastern Republic of Uruguay, Luis Lacalle Pou, solemnly received President Vahagn Khachaturyan, who is in Uruguay on an official visit, at his residence. The welcome ceremony was followed by the meeting of the Presidents.

President of Uruguay Luis Lacalle Pou welcomed the visit of the President of the Republic of Armenia to the Eastern Republic of Uruguay and underscored that such visits reaffirm the long-standing friendship and close relations between the two countries and peoples.

In his speech, the President of Uruguay emphasized that the Armenian community of Uruguay played a crucial role both in the development of cooperation between Armenia and Uruguay, and in the establishment of the Uruguayan state.

President of the Republic of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan expressed his gratitude for the reception and noted that he was impressed by the warm attitude to the Armenian delegation.

Vahagn Khachaturyan also thanked the state and people of Uruguay in the person of Luis Lacalle Pou for recognizing the Armenian Genocide first and supporting our compatriots who survived the Genocide.

During the discussion, the President of Uruguay emphasized that Uruguay is closely following the developments in the South Caucasus region. In this regard, President Vahagn Khachaturyan informed his counterpart about the overall realities and current situation in the region, and also touched upon the steps taken by Armenia to address security challenges in the region and the Crossroads of Peace concept.

During the meeting, the sides highly valued the effective cooperation of the two countries on international platforms and highlighted the importance of promoting the consistent development of cooperation. In this regard, the President of Uruguay underscored that all the political forces of Uruguay have a common position on all issues related to Armenia on the international platforms, which also proves the existence of close friendly ties between the two countries.

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President of the Republic of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan visited the Senate of Uruguay within the framework of his official visit to the Eastern Republic of Uruguay.

Upon entering the Parliament, the President was welcomed by the Presidents of the Senate and the House of Representatives. A meeting was held in the Senate with the Vice President of Uruguay, the President of the Senate, Beatriz Argimón, which was also attended by the President of the House of Representatives, Sebastián Andújar.
Welcoming President Vahagn Khachaturyan, the President of the Senate thanked him for his visit and emphasized that she was happy to host the President of Armenia in the Senate of Uruguay, which they also call the "House of Democracy," since for Uruguay democracy is an unparalleled value and since the establishment of the Republic, all parliamentary parties have held the office.

The President of the Republic of Armenia expressed his gratitude for the warm reception and emphasized that democracy is the highest value for Uruguay and Armenia alike. In his speech, Vahagn Khachaturyan noted that after independence, Armenia adopted the principles of development pursuing the democratic path, and although the democratization processes in our country over the past 3 decades have overcome various trials, in recent years, Armenia has been firmly committed to democratic values and the position of establishing democratic institutions.

In this context, President Khachaturyan emphasized that the role of the Parliament in establishing and strengthening the democratic institutions, as well as in the state administration system of Armenia in general, is very significant, as our country has transitioned to a parliamentary administration system since 2018.

During the conversation, the President of the Republic, represented by the President of the Senate, thanked the people and the state of Uruguay for being the first to recognize the Genocide, as well as for taking a clear and fair position on the challenges faced by the Republic of Armenia in recent years.

During the meeting, the sides discussed the possibilities of promoting sectoral cooperation between Armenia and Uruguay, particularly in the field of high technologies, education among others.

In his speech, President Vahagn Khachaturyan also touched upon the realities and developments in the South Caucasus region. The President reaffirmed the clear position of establishing good and unconditional relations with the neighbors.

At the meeting, both sides positively evaluated the forthcoming opening of the Armenian Embassy in Uruguay which will contribute to the activation of the contacts between the two countries at various levels. To this end, the need for high-level mutual political visits and efforts to promote parliamentary diplomacy was also emphasized.

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As part of his official visit to Uruguay, President Vahagn Khachaturyan paid tribute to the Uruguayan national hero José Artigas at the Independence square in Montevideo.

On behalf of the President of the Republic of Armenia, a wreath was placed at the monument of the national hero.

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President of the Republic of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan visited “Hayastan” Square in Montevideo and paid tribute to the memory of the Genocide victims.

On behalf of the President, a wreath was placed near the cross-stone dedicated to the memory of the Genocide victims. Afterwards, President Vahagn Khachaturyan, accompanied by Uruguayan MP Pedro Khisdonian, Deputy Minister of Health Jose Luis Sajian and representatives of the Armenian community Diego Karamanukian, toured the square and familiarized themselves with the history of the construction of the memorial complex.

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As part of his official visit to Uruguay, President Vahagn Khachaturyan visited Saint Nerses Shnorali Church in Montevideo and met with the leader of the Armenian Diocese of Uruguay, His Emminence Hakob Archbishop Glnchyan.

The leader of the Diocese expressed his gratitude to the President for the visit and emphasized the importance of such visits for strengthening Armenia-Diaspora relations.

"Mr. President, today our Armenian community of Montevideo is delighted to host you under the arches of Saint Nerses Shnorhali Church. We are truly happy that you honored us with a visit," said the reverend.

The President expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome and kind words. "The role of the church is undeniable in the Diaspora, we all know this, and considering this circumstance, all of us highly appreciate the work and historical role of the church. I am confident that you will continue the honorable work that you have carried out for forty years and as a result of which the community exists in Uruguay and is highly valued by the Uruguayan authorities as well."

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As part of his official visit to Uruguay, President Vahagn Khachaturyan visited the Noubarian College in Montevideo. Accompanied by the school principal Javier Poladian, the President toured the educational complex, familiarized himself with the general conditions and principles of education organization.

Javier Poladian and Aldo Rodríguez, Director of the Language Policy Department of the National Administration of Public Education of Uruguay, presented to the President the manual created for the purpose of teaching Armenian to foreigners, which, according to the author of the initiative, is the first of its kind. According to Aldo Rodríguez, the development of such manuals is part of a larger project, as the task is to develop accessible and interesting manuals for students, increasing their learning level.

He emphasized that such extensive work is not being done alone and the Ministry of Education of Uruguay is implementing the program with the support of the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), and steps have been taken toward establishing cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Culture of Armenia.

During the discussion, the sides touched upon the existing great potential of cooperation between Armenia and Uruguay in the field of education, and highlighted consistent steps aimed at promoting contacts in this field. Issues regarding the possibility of establishing a Tumo center in Uruguay were also discussed.

Following the Noubarian school, the President visited the Montevideo public school named "Hayastan" where the President was welcomed by principal Mariana González . The President of the Republic of Armenia, accompanied by the principal, toured the school, afterwards attended the Armenian-Uruguayan cultural event organized with the participation of students in honor of the visit of the Armenian delegation.

Toward the end of the event, President Vahagn Khachaturyan expressed his gratitude to the teaching staff and students of the school for the warm welcome and beautiful performance, and then left a note in the guest book of the school.