On December 7, 2018, the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia to Canada commemorated the 30th anniversary of the devastating earthquake of 1988. Clergy of the Armenian Apostolic Church, under the leadership of His Grace Bishop Abgar Hovakimyan, Primate, and His Eminence Archbishop Papken Tcharian, as well as representatives of the Armenian community were present at the commemoration ceremony. During the ceremony, the Counselor of the Embassy Mr. Ara Mkrtchian spoke of the importance of remembering the heavy losses caused to the Armenian people by the catastrophic earthquake.