ArmInfo. The opening ceremony of the Consulate General of Armenia took place in Erbil.
According to the press service of the Armenian Foreign Ministry, in his welcoming speech, the Consul General of Armenia in Erbil Arshak Manukyan presented the goals of the diplomatic mission and the upcoming programs. The Consul General noted that in recent months, thanks to active contacts with partners from Iraqi Kurdistan, an agenda of mutual interest has already been formed, and expressed his readiness to make efforts to implement it.
RA Deputy Foreign Minister Artak Apitonyan, who is on a visit to Iraqi Kurdistan, also delivered a welcoming speech. According to him, the dynamically developing relations between Armenia and Iraqi Kurdistan is based on strong historical ties and friendship between the two peoples. "Today is a truly significant event in the history of Armenian-Iraqi relations. Armenia has always attached great importance to the development of relations with the Republic of Iraq, culminating in the opening of the Consulate General of the Republic of Armenia in Erbil. Armenians settled in this country at different stages of history, including the Iraqi Kurdistan, and received an extremely friendly attitude from the authorities, "said the deputy minister.
Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Safin Dizayn made a welcoming speech on behalf of the government of Iraqi Kurdistan, who highly appreciated the decision of the Armenian authorities to open a consulate general in Erbil and on behalf of his government promised the full support of the authorities.
Within the framework of his visit to Iraqi Kurdistan, Apitonyan met with the chairman of the Kurdistan Democratic Party Massoud Barzani.
At the meeting, Massoud Barzani highly appreciated the decision of the Armenian authorities to open a consulate general in Erbil, stressing that the RA diplomatic mission will become an incentive for the development of relations between the two friendly peoples.
In turn, Apitonyan stressed that Armenia attaches importance to the development of multifaceted cooperation with the Kurdistan Region and expressed confidence that the opening of the Consulate General of the Republic of Armenia in Erbil would make a great contribution to further strengthening the mutually beneficial agenda. At the same time, he pointed to the need to deepen ties in the political, trade, economic, cultural, educational and humanitarian spheres. During the meeting, the interlocutors also exchanged views on a number of issues on the regional and international agenda.