(Ottawa) The Government of Canada has announced the name of the ambassador who will lead a new embassy in Armenia, in the heart of the escalating military conflict in neighboring Azerbaijan.
Andrew Turner, a career diplomat, will be posted to the capital Yerevan starting next month, as the Liberals attempt to forge closer ties with countries moving away from Russia’s orbit.
Mr. Turner’s experience primarily involves assignments in the Middle East, although he also helped shape Ottawa’s response to tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Canada has a large Armenian diaspora, and the Liberals have argued that an embassy would help expand Ottawa’s knowledge of the Caucasus region, while also helping foreigners obtain visas and Canadians obtain passport services.
The news comes as Canada’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Bob Rae, said Azerbaijan could undertake “ethnic cleansing” of Armenians in its Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly issued statements calling on Azerbaijan to stop escalating tensions, and the NDP called on her to begin imposing sanctions on officials there.