Director of European Friends of Armenia Talks to Future Diplomats in the European Parliament

Director of European Friends of Armenia, Eduardo Lorenzo Ochoa, , delivered a speech to the students of the Diplomatic School of Armenia during their visit to the European Parliament.  The visit was part of their study tour which also includes meetings in the College of Europe, the Council of Europe and the European Commission.

Mr Lorenzo Ochoa exchanged with the students about his work and what European Friends of Armenia does to build bridges between Armenia and Europe. Afterwards they discussed a wide range of topics, including relations between Armenia and the European Union, EURONEST PA and European foreign policy.

The current refugee crisis was especially of concern to the students.  Since the start of the conflict in Syria, Armenia has welcomed over 15 000 refugees. Though the majority are of Armenian descent, Yezidis have also found refuge. The students were surprised that this was not well known in Europe.

For Mr Lorenzo Ochoa this visit was somewhat special. When the Diplomatic School of Armenia was founded in 2010 he co-designed the first syllabus and taught the first generation of students during his time as senior advisor in the EU advisory Group to the Republic of Armenia.

‘I am very impressed by the progress made by the Diplomatic School of Armenia since and I am always very happy to meet with its students and alumni’ he says. ‘The school plays an important role in forging the future of Armenian diplomacy and I was honoured to be given the opportunity to share my experience which I gathered while working at the heart of Europe’.

The students will next travel to Austria where they will visit the OSCE headquarters and the Armenian Embassy.  Mr Lorenzo Ochoa highlighted the eagerness of European Friends of Armenia to share its experiences and knowledge of European institutions with the students of the Diplomatic School of Armenia in the future.