Canada plans to open embassy in Yerevan
Canada's special envoy to Europe visited Armenia and discussed expanding partnerships.
Although Canada and Armenia have maintained diplomatic relations since 1992, until recently Canada was satisfied that its interests in Armenia (as in Uzbekistan, which has 10 times the population) were represented by the embassy in Moscow. It is worth noting that so few people actually moved from Armenia to Canada that they didn't even make it into the Ministry of Immigration's 2021 statistics.
Canada is concerned about the fate of the embassy in Russia. It is stated that in 10 years the number of Canadian employees has decreased from 50 to 16 people, and it is impossible to predict what will happen next. The U.S. seriously restricted the activities of its embassy in Russia back in May 2021, it is quite possible that Canada plans to do the same.
There is an Honorary Consulate of Canada in Yerevan, but the post of Honorary Consul has been vacant since 2019. Honorary consuls do not receive salaries and enjoy only a portion of the privileges accorded to diplomats.
On February 24, 2022, Stephen Dion, Canada's ambassador to Germany and special envoy to the European Union and Europe, traveled to Armenia. On June 3, the official website of the Canadian government published his report with recommendations.
The report, endorsed by Canada's foreign minister, outlines the ambassador's strategy for Canada's future relationship with Armenia. If Canada wants to continue developing democracy in Armenia, it should:
- to carry out parliamentary reform in Armenia by investing at least $4.8 million CAD;
- expand funding for projects to protect the rights of people with disabilities from two or three to 10-15 projects per year;
- to open an embassy in Yerevan to oversee joint projects of the Canadian government and Armenian NGOs, as well as to represent Canada in Uzbekistan.
