The President of the Republic, Vahagn Khachaturyan, and the President of the Republic of Iraq, Abd Al-Latif Jamal Rashid, summarized the results of the meetings held at the presidential residence with statements for mass media representatives. President Vahagn Khachaturyan stated:
“It is a great honor to host the delegation led by Your Excellency in Yerevan today. Your visit is genuinely historic because, since establishing diplomatic relations, you are the first president of Iraq to visit Armenia officially. Your visit will open a new page in Armenian-Iraqi relations and give a powerful charge of deepening and expanding the multi-sectoral cooperation between the friendly states.
I must note with satisfaction that since Armenia’s independence, relations with Arab countries have developed in an atmosphere of mutual trust and warm friendship. Today, there is a unique dynamic in Armenian-Iraqi relations. The bilateral agenda is quite comprehensive and includes many areas of cooperation, from trade and economic relations to educational and cultural, humanitarian, and information technology areas.
The rich past of Armenian-Arab historical and cultural relations and the presence of the Armenian community in Iraq, which has a history of centuries, are a solid basis for the dynamic development of relations between our countries. The Armenian people are grateful to the friendly people of Iraq, especially for hosting and providing shelter to the Armenian emigrants who survived the Armenian Genocide. I sincerely thank the close Iraqi authorities for caring for Iraqi Armenians and providing all conditions for life and everyday activities.
Iraq is an essential and reliable partner of Armenia in the Middle East region. Armenia is interested in developing a bilateral agenda with Iraq, particularly in the trade and economic sphere.
The negotiations with Mr. President were effective, during which we exchanged ideas on several issues of bilateral interest. We thoroughly discussed the current state and prospects of Armenian-Iraqi relations with my esteemed colleague in an atmosphere of mutual understanding.
With satisfaction, we highlighted the noticeable increase in trade volume with Iraq in recent years. At the same time, we expressed confidence that these indicators can increase even more. We appreciated it highly in Baghdad this year. The regular session of the Armenian-Iraqi intergovernmental Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation was held on September 12-13. both sides emphasized the speedy implementation of the agreements reached during the session.
Agriculture, renewable energy production, infrastructure development and restoration, food and light industry, education, science, and culture were discussed at the meeting as the most promising directions.
The significant potential of bilateral beneficial cooperation in high technologies and digitization was particularly emphasized. In this regard, I mentioned that Armenia is ready to transfer its successful experience accumulated over the years in this field to the Iraqi side. We reaffirmed the willingness of both sides to deepen interstate relations.
Apart from the bilateral agenda, we discussed regional and international issues of mutual interest. We emphasized the need to coordinate the two countries’ efforts in the context of the dialogue on the regional security atmosphere, the processes taking place in the international arena, and the challenges arising from it.
I presented to my esteemed colleague the “Crossroads of Peace” concept by Armenia, which aims to make Armenia a transit center for existing and future channels stretching from North to South and West to East, which implies restoring everyday communication with all our neighbors. Implementing the concept will enable transit between the Middle East and Asia on the one hand and the European and Eurasian markets on the other. Armenia is interested in unblocking regional economic and transport links while respecting state sovereignty, jurisdiction, and the principles of equality and reciprocity. It is ready to do so as soon as possible, which, in turn, will ensure security and stability in the region.
The strengthening of cooperation within the framework of the fight against all manifestations of international terrorism, as well as the implementation of joint efforts to combat illegal migration, was also emphasized. At the end of the meeting, we adopted a joint statement with my esteemed colleague, reflecting both sides’ desire to develop cooperation in almost all critical areas of bilateral relations.”
