Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan today received Anthony Barsamian, Co-Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Armenian Assembly of America (AAA), and AAA Regional Office Director Arpi Vardanian.

Greeting the guests, Nikol Pashinyan noted: “We have gone through quite a challenging period. I believe that we have reached a new stage of development not only following the events that occurred in Armenia and Artsakh, but also due the developments outside Armenia, which have changed or reshaped the agendas. I mean the activities of the Armenian Assembly of America; I mean that the President of the United States has recognized the fact of the Armenian Genocide which implies a new situation, a new haven for us. Also, I consider it important in this context to see the way the Homeland-Diaspora relations should be organized amid these new realities. What has to be done? Should we continue in the same way or should we make some transformations and reshapes?

Meetings like this are important as they allow us to compare our perceptions and understandings, so that we could open a specific field of vision. We need to understand where we are going and which goals we are setting. I think we are just facing a new situation, though we need to formalize it and realize what it means and what new goals and tasks should be set in this new situation, and also what do the Armenian government and the Diaspora-based organizations have to do here? How should our relationships be arranged ahead? I am pleased that we have an opportunity to discuss all this today.”

Thankful for the reception, Anthony Barsamian said: “Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for receiving us. First of all, we express our condolences to the country, to you personally. We visited the Yerablur Memorial, the cemetery of killed soldiers. The U.S.-based Armenian community shares the pain of loss because it affects us all. We have come to congratulate you on the end of the elections, to meet you and the members of the new government, to listen to and take note of your vision and views. As American-Armenians, we wish the best to Armenia. We will work an will guarantee our support to Armenia; we will work with different parliamentary parties; we will work with you as the leader of the country in order to achieve the best for the country. We are working with your staff just as we have done over the past few years, and will continue to work together to develop the Armenian-American relations. I must say that the Biden administration has a sympathetic attitude towards us. We will continue to work to further enhance the Armenian-American cooperation and ensure a strong hand for Armenia in the region.”

Issues related to Homeland-Diaspora relations and the promotion of the pan-Armenian agenda were discussed during the meeting.