CURRENTLY ARMENIA HAS 47 DIPLOMATIC REPRESENTATIONS ABROAD
NOYAN TAPAN
JUNE 8, 2009
YEREVAN
YEREVAN, JUNE 8, NOYAN TAPAN. Currently Armenia has 47 diplomatic
representations abroad, two of which, in Hague (the Netherlands) and
Batum (Georgia) were opened in 2008. It is expected to open Embassies
in another 3 countries by the end of 2009, in Lithuania, Finland,
and Japan. Their opening was planned earlier, but was delayed because
of the financial-economic crisis. RA Deputy Foreign Minister Arman
Kirakosian reported at the discussion of the account of 2008 state
budget execution at RA National Assembly Standing Committees.
According to him, Armenia has only two commercial representations
abroad, in Brussels (Belgium) and Switzerland, which rather carry
out functions of representations at international organizations. It
was mentioned that RA Foreign Ministry’s position is the following:
Armenia’s Embassies should be engaged in development of bilateral
economic relations. In this respect it is desirable to have commercial
attaches at all Embassies.
It was also mentioned that Armenia strives for getting buildings
for its representations abroad with the ownership right as far as
possible. At present 14 of the buildings of Armenia’s representations
are the ownership of RA, 12 have been given to RA by various Diasporan
organizations for gratuitous use, the others are rented.