Monday, 29 July 2019
Tigran Avinyan Hosts California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis-Led Delegation
On July 29, Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan received a delegation led by Lieutenant Governor of California Eleni Kounalakis. The delegation comprised Los Angeles Board of Governors member Kathryn Barger, Colorado State Senator Dominique Moreno, Colorado State House Representative Daneya Esgar, Arizona State Senators Paul Boyer and Otoniel Navarrete, as well as several members of the Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region (ANCA-WR). The visit was organized by ANCA-WR.
Greeting the guests, Tigran Avinyan said Armenia attaches great importance to the comprehensive expansion of partnership with the USA, highlighting the relations with individual States, particularly California.
Thankful for the reception, Eleni Kounalakis said she was very glad to be in Armenia amid the transformations taking place in our country following the Velvet Revolution.
The parties talked about the need for strengthening Armenia’s relations with the States of California, Colorado and Arizona in the fields of science and education, including the opportunity to bolster student exchange programs in public administration and high technologies. In this context, Tigran Avinyan pinpointed the positive experience of the Public Policy Program and the Manoogian-Simone Research Foundation being implemented through the combined efforts of the Institute for Armenian Studies at the University of Southern California and Los Angeles Town Hall.
The sides highlighted the role played by the Armenians in different spheres of public life in the USA, as well as the Armenian community’s valuable contribution to the development of U.S.-Armenia cooperation. The interlocutors discussed the steps to take with a view to activating economic relations, including the possibility of opening U.S. States’ trade representations in Armenia.
Presenting the opportunities available in Armenia’s high-tech industry and the IT sector, Tigran Avinyan outlined the prospects for cooperation in the aforementioned areas.
