Your trusted source

The Embassy of the Republic of Armenia, the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, and the Congressional Wine Caucus, in partnership with the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) and Armenian National Committee of America, hosted a reception on Capitol Hill celebrating Armenia’s 26th Independence Day and the Silver Jubilee of United States-Armenia diplomatic relations. The event was sponsored by the Armenian Assembly.

As the Armenian Assembly of America reported in a press statement, special guests who attended the event are U.S. State Department Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary Bridget Brink, U.S. Department of Commerce Deputy Assistant Secretary for Europe Dale Tasharski, Adjutant General of Kansas Major General Lee E. Tafanelli, U.S. OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair Ambassador Andrew Schofer, former U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Evans (2004-2006), Armenian Ambassador to the U.S. Grigor Hovhannissian, Artsakh Permanent Representative to the U.S. Robert Avetisyan, others.

Ambassador Hovhannissian welcomed guests, and stated: “We are celebrating our thriving relationship with the United States, a reliable friend and partner that helped Armenia face formidable odds as our country 26 years ago embarked on a nation building mission and embraced the family of freedom loving nations.” He continued: “We celebrate these milestones at the U.S. Congress, in recognition of the leadership role that Congress and its Congressional Caucus on Armenian issues played in fostering and cementing the reestablished relations between our nations. In this jubilee year, we were fortunate to host a large Congressional delegation to Armenia to see the fruits of our cooperation.”

State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary Brink, expressing her appreciation for the strong partnership between the U.S. and Armenia, generously credited her longtime working relations with the leadership of the Armenian Assembly. “This year, Armenia celebrates twenty six years of independence. In this time, it is quite remarkable how much progress has been made. We all remember all too well the difficult years immediately after independence. But in a relatively short period of time, Armenia has modernized its economy and has become a tech hub in the region, created a vibrant political system that allows space for civil society, and has built a strong, enduring partnership with the United States, of which I am deeply proud,” she said.

Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Representatives Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) shared remarks about their recent visit to Armenia, as well as current affairs in U.S.-Armenia relations. The Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs spoke highly of the progress made to the economy in Armenia and Artsakh, as well as the modern infrastructure in the rural areas.