GLENDALE — Members of the Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region met with California State Assemblyman Dario Frommer at his 43rd State Assembly District office this week to discuss a number of issues of concern to his large Armenian-American constituency. Frommer’s district, which encompasses the cities of Glendale and Burbank in their entirety, is home to the largest concentration of Armenian-Americans.

During the hour-long meeting, Assemblymember Frommer briefed the ANCA-WR representatives on his recent trip to the Republic of Armenia at the invitation of the Armenian government, and gave details of discussions and meeting he had conducted as part of a delegation, which also included Assemblymembers Carol Liu, Joe Simitian, and Jenny Oropeza.

Frommer told the meeting participants that the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Armenia and California is imminent, and the document could be signed in the very near future. The Assemblyman also informed ANCA – WR members that he would like to see a signing ceremony in his district. Frommer praised the ANCA – WR for their initiative in launching the MOU process last year with then State Senator Adam Schiff, and expressed his strong appreciation for the ANCA – WR’s continued involvement in the MOU and any subsequent trade related activities.

Speaking about the recently signed California State Budget, Frommer expressed his dissatisfaction with the exclusion of a budget item requesting funding for the distribution of genocide and human rights related school curriculum material. He informed the group that he would be pursuing this initiative through a number of channels and hoped to be able to secure the necessary conditions for the distribution of the material, including the ANCA-WR Armenian Genocide Handbook.

ANCA-WR Chairman Steven Dadaian thanked Frommer for his steadfast support on Armenian American concerns, and expressed the organization’s commitment to working with the 43rd State Assembly office in advancing issues of mutual interest. Dadaian thanked Frommer for visiting Armenia, and in his presentation updated the Assemblymember on a number of vital issues, including California-Armenia trade, Genocide affirmation on all levels of government, as well as internationally, and Genocide education curriculum in California. In addition, Dadaian informed Frommer of ANCA-WR’s various activities both in and out of his district, and briefed him on the organization’s efforts vis-à-vis the redistricting process currently underway nationwide. Frommer expressed his willingness to be helpful in the process.

In addition to Dadaian, Assemblymember Frommer was joined by ANCA-WR Board members Berdj Karapetian and Oshin Haroutiunian, as well as Executive Director Alex Sardar. Also attending the meeting was Frommer’s Staff member Armond Aghakhani.