|
H.E. Mr Vartan Oskanian, The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia visiting Australia 9-11 October 2005
Dear Member,
It is with great pleasure that we announce the Official Visit to Australia of His Excellency Mr Vartan Oskanian, The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia. Mr Vartan Oskanian has worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 1992, and has held the Ministerial position since April 1998. Over this period, Mr Oskanian has played a vital role in establishing friendly and close diplomatic ties between Armenia and over 50 countries worldwide. For his contribution to Armenia's integration into European structures, to the deepening of Armenia-Italy ties, and for his active involvement in peace talks, Mr Oskanian was recently awarded the Grosso d'Oro Veneziano Award by the Masi Foundation of Italy's Veneto Region.
The purpose of Mr Oskanian's upcoming visit is to strengthen diplomatic ties between Australia and Armenia, and to this end the Minister will be meeting with several key politicians at Parliament House Minister Downer MP, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Joe Hockey MP, Minister for Human Services.The Minister will also be meeting with a select number of NSW politicians, including the Premier of NSW and Gladys Berejiklian MP, Member for Willoughby.
During his stay, The Minister will be meeting with several Armenian community groups based in Sydney, including the Armenian Chamber of Commerce. As a result of Harmick Hacobian and John Varoujan's negotiations with the Minister's office, the Board of the Chamber has been granted a 20 minute meeting with the Minister on Sunday 9th October. During this meeting the board hopes to discuss ways in which to strengthen trade ties between Armenia and Australia. Harmick Hacobian and John Varoujan have also been invited to attend the Official Dinner hosted by Minister Alexander Downer in the private dining room at Parliament House Canberra. At this dinner, Harmick and John hope to be able to spend some more time with the Minister.
Although the Minister will only be meeting with the Chamber's Board Members, you will have the following opportunities to see him on Sunday the 9th of October:
- Armenian Apostolic Church in Sydney (10 Macquarie Street Chatswood):
- The Minister will be attending Armenian Mass (Sourp Badarak) at 11.30am
- Austral Armenian Community Centre (5 Grattan Crescent Frenchs Forest):
- The Minister will be meeting with the Armenian-Australian Community from 2.30 to 3.50pm. ALL Armenian-Australian political, religious, educational, cultural, sporting, relief & benevolent organizations will be invited as well as the broader Armenian-Australian Community.
The Chamber hopes that Mr Vartan Oskanian's visit will help to strengthen both the diplomatic and trade partnerships between Australia and Armenia. His visit is especially significant considering it is the first official visit to Australia by a Foreign Minister from the Republic of Armenia.
The publication of our October Newsletter has been delayed so we can include a full report of the outcome of this important event,
Yours Sincerely
The ACCA Board |
