LOS ANGELES. — Armenia Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is on a working visit to the United States. The visit started from the city of Los Angeles.

The Armenian Prime Minister, together with his spouse Anna Hakobyan, visited the Los Angeles City Hall and met with representatives of the California and Los Angeles City Authorities and members of the Los Angeles City Council.

The Prime Minister's first meeting was with California Deputy Governor Eleni Kounalakis. Ms. Kunalakis welcomed the Armenian Prime Minister's visit to the United States and noted that it would promote the development of the Armenia-California partnership.

Expressing gratitude to the California Deputy Governor for the warm welcome and appreciation, the Prime Minister noted that he was happy to be in California, where one of the largest communities of the Armenian Diaspora lives and creates. 

According to the Armenian Prime Minister, California is one of the most innovative states in the US, with the world leading position in the field of technology, and Armenia attaches great importance to deepening cooperation with California as the development on technology is its high priority. Nikol Pashinyan attached importance to the upcoming meeting with the California Governor in New York, within the framework of which the signing of the agreement as well as other documents envisaged during the visit to the US are good grounds for deepening the Armenian-American partnership.

The California deputy governor noted that she had recently visited Armenia, and was at the Tumo Center for Creative Technologies, the American University of Armenia and was impressed with the results of her visit.

The Armenian Prime Minister also expressed gratitude to the California authorities for their efforts to recognize of the Armenian Genocide and raise public awareness of the Genocide.

Nikol Pashinyan then met with Los Angeles County Administrator Kathryn Barger, State Senate member Anthony Portantino and with members of Los Angeles City Council. Kathryn Berger and Anthony Portantino welcomed the Armenian Prime Minister's visit to California and Los Angeles, which is a good opportunity to discuss prospects for deepening cooperation. They noted that the Armenian community in Los Angeles plays an important role in local public, political, economic, cultural life, and that the city authorities are interested in strengthening partnership with Armenia.

At a meeting with members of the Los Angeles City Council, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan noted that after the velvet revolution, Armenia has taken the path of democratic progress and reform, and in this respect, the US experience as one of the democracy-supporting countries is of great importance.

City Council members welcomed Nikol Pashinyan and Anna Hakobyan to the Los Angeles City Hall and noted that they were willing to share their experience and support Armenia in strengthening democratic values. The Prime Minister also toured the Los Angeles City Hall, getting acquainted with the architecture and history of the building.