It said it will also enhance its diplomatic presence in four Eastern European countries to “help counter Russia’s destabilizing activities” in the region.
“This diplomatic expansion will help guide Canada’s response to evolving security threats, enhance political and economic cooperation to support European Allies, and further counter the impacts of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and support Armenia in its democratic development,” read a statement released by the Canadian government.
It quoted Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly as saying that this will give Ottawa “the tools we need to reinforce Armenian democracy and address some of the greatest security and diplomatic challenges of our time.”
The statement was timed to coincide with a NATO summit in Madrid that focused on continued Western military support for Ukraine. It said Canada’s current geopolitical priorities include “pushing back on Russian influence, whether they assert it through soft power, disinformation or military force.”
Like other Western powers, NATO member Canada has strongly condemned the Russian invasion and provided Ukraine with military and economic assistance. By contrast, Armenia has refrained from criticizing the “special military operation” launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24.
The South Caucasus state has long maintained close military, political and economic ties with Russia. Its heavy dependence on Moscow for defense and security deepened further after the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Sweden - Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly speaks with her Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan during an OSCE ministerial meeting in Stockholm, December 2, 2021.
Armenia was quick to welcome Canada’s decision to open an embassy in Yerevan, with Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan calling it “another milestone in progressively developing Armenian-Canadian relations.”
Joly announced the decision one day after her phone call with Mirzoyan. According to the Armenian Foreign Ministry, the two ministers reaffirmed their governments’ plans to “further deepen Armenian-Canadian relations.”
The ministry said they also discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and other “security challenges” in the South Caucasus.
Joly expressed “Canada’s solidarity with Armenian people” when she spoke with Mirzoyan last December on the sidelines of an annual meeting of the top diplomats of OSCE member states held in Sweden.
Just days after the outbreak of the Armenian-Azerbaijani war in September 2020, the Canadian government suspended the export of drone technology to Turkey. It banned such exports altogether in April 2021 after investigating and confirming reports that Turkish-manufactured Bayraktar TB2 combat drones, heavily used by the Azerbaijani army, are equipped with imaging and targeting systems made by a Canada-based firm.