YEREVAN, Nov. 29 (ArmenPress) - President Robert Kocharian signed a decree November 28, appointing Ara Papian Armenia's extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador to Canada with residence in Ottawa.

Ara Papian was born in Yerevan in 1961. He graduated from the Department of Oriental Studies at Yerevan State University. After defending his thesis at the university, he continued his education at the Diplomatic Academy attached to the foreign ministry of the Russian Federation, then at the NATO military-diplomatic academy in Rome.

From 1981-1982, and from 1984 to 1986, Ara Papian worked as a military interpreter in Afghanistan. From 1989 to 1991, Papian lectured at AGBU's Melkonian Educational Institute in Cyprus.

In 1992 Mr. Papian started his diplomatic career. He was second secretary of Armenian foreign ministry's US and Canada division, then second secretary of Iran division.

In 1992-1993 he worked as second secretary at the Armenian embassy in Iran.

In 1994-1995 he was the head of the Iran division at the Armenian foreign ministry; in 1997 he was Armenia's charge d'affaires in Romania; in 1997-1999 he served as the head of the foreign ministry's security cooperation division.

From 1999 until his new appointment, Papian worked as a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry. He speaks Russian, English, Farsi, and Greek. Papian is married and is the father of two sons.