President Vahagn Khachaturyan receives the delegation headed by Canadian Senator Leo Housakos

President of the Republic of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan received the delegation headed by Canadian Senator Leo Housakos who arrived in Armenia to participate in the fall session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly to be held in Yerevan on November 18-20.

President Khachaturyan welcomed the guests and noted that Armenia highly values partnership relations with Canada.

"Armenian-Canadian relations were outstanding this year and achieved new successes, the most important of which was the opening of the Canadian Embassy in Armenia. I am confident that it will give a fresh impetus to our cooperation," President Khachaturyan noted.

The President noted that Armenia has always sensed the support of friendly Canada in challenging times. "These are very difficult times for us, and we needed and received your support in this period. I thank you and the Canadian authorities for your active cooperation," the President noted.

Leo Housakos, in turn, expressed gratitude for the reception. "There is a great connection between Canada and Armenia, and obviously the most powerful one is the connection between people. The second is our respect and appreciation for democracy, our commitment to human rights, freedom, and rule of law," he said.

During the meeting, the sides discussed issues related to the further development of Armenian-Canadian cooperation. The current high-level political dialogue between the two countries and efforts to promote parliamentary diplomacy were highly valued by both sides.

During the discussion, the interlocutors touched upon the overall regional realities and developments. In this context, President Vahagn Khachaturyan emphasized Armenia's clear position to establish sustainable and lasting peace and achieve ultimate normalization of relations with its neighbors.

Ideas were exchanged regarding the implementation of democratic reforms in Armenia, and the consistent establishment and strengthening of democratic institutions.

Toward the end of the meeting, the President awarded Senator Leo Housakos the Order of Friendship for his contribution to the strengthening and development of friendly relations between Armenia and Canada and the protection of universal values.