Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan had a phone talk on Friday with his Canadian counterpart Francois-Philippe Champagne, the MFA’s press service reported.

The FMs discussed the situation in the world amid the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the importance of international cooperation and the use of collective forces to overcome it. 

Zohrab Mnatsakanyan presented to his colleague programs implemented to mitigate the socio-economic consequences of the pandemic.

In this context, Mnatsakanyan praised the readiness of international partners to provide aid to Armenia and the Armenian people.

The ministers also raised a wide range of issues related to the bilateral agenda, expressing satisfaction with the dialogue established at different levels.

The two also expressed their readiness to take practical steps towards maintaining the positive dynamics of the Armenian-Canadian relations and the inclusion of new areas of cooperation. In this regard, an exchange of views took place on expanding cooperation in the fields of creative education, information technology, agribusiness, food safety, and other industries.

The sides also touched upon effective cooperation based on mutual aid within the international organizations and prospects for its expansion.

Zohrab Mnatsakanyan presented to François-Philippe Champagne the priorities of Armenia’s chairmanship of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women and praised Canada’s efforts towards women's rights and the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda, as well as protecting the rights of children in armed conflicts.

The FM also touched upon the steps taken by Armenia in the direction of stimulating the agenda for the prevention of genocide, highly appreciating the established close cooperation with the Canadian side in this regard.

During the phone talk, the sides also discussed a number of urgent issues on the international and regional agenda, the MFA noted.