Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Armenian Independence Day.
Twenty-one years ago Armenia declared its independence from the former Soviet Union, the first non-Baltic state to do so.
Canada is proud of the close friendship we have built with a confident and independent Armenia.
This relationship is stronger by the important contributions of tens of thousands of Armenian Canadians, as well as many church groups and community organizations, such as the one in my riding of Don Valley East. We have also worked closely together in a great number of international initiatives, such as la Francophonie.
I know that Canada will continue to be a good friend of the Republic of Armenia in the years to come.
On behalf of all Canadians, I wish everyone celebrating today a very happy Armenian Independence Day.