YEREVAN — Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has received congratulatory messages from the leaders and senior officials of several countries on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of Armenia’s independence, including Russia and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
In his message, Rubio highlighted the progress made in Armenian-American relations over the past year and said Washington looks forward to advancing the TRIPP initiative, strengthening economic ties and encouraging U.S. investment in Armenia.
“On behalf of the United States, I warmly congratulate the people of Armenia on Independence Day,” Rubio said in his message.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also congratulated Pashinyan on Armenia’s national holiday, wishing him good health and success and extending wishes of well-being and prosperity to the “friendly Armenian people.”
Congratulatory messages were also sent by the leaders of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Thailand and Bangladesh, as well as other officials.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko also issued an Independence Day message, addressing his congratulations specifically to the people of Armenia. Relations between Yerevan and Minsk have been strained in recent years.