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Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to the Republic of Tunisia and the Kingdom of Morocco, diplomat, historian and Oriental studies expert Arshak Poladyan delivered an open lecture at the Armenian State Pedagogical University.
Organized by the Chair of World History and its Teaching Methods, the series of academic seminars kicked off with Poladyan’s lecture on “Armenia and the Arab World: Past and Present”.
As a matter of fact, Arshak Poladyan was the one who established the Embassy of Armenia to United Arab Emirates in 2000. He has also served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to Kuwait, to the Kingdom of Bahrain, to the Syrian Arab Republic, to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and to the Republic of Tunisia.
The speaker notes that first it is necessary to know the past in order to have a picture of the present of and prospects for Armenian-Arab relations, that is to say, what the more than 2,000-year-old relations with the Arab World were like in the past.
Arshak Poladyan touched upon the five historical stages of the relations starting from the era of Tigran the Great and noted that Armenians have been active in society, politics, science, culture and economy of the Arab World in all times.
In his lecture, the Oriental studies expert-consul also talked about the era of Armenian viziers, the role that the large Armenian families played in Arab countries, the honorary consulates and Armenia being an observer state in the League of Arab States.
During the meeting, Arshak Poladyan also touched upon the activities of Armenian consulates in Arab countries and stated that the Arab World is currently “covered” with Armenian embassies and their active efforts. “A new page in the history of Armenian-Arab relations was turned over after Armenia’s independence, laying the foundation for diplomatic relations. As a result, today, there are 8 active embassies in the Arab World. Armenia’s relations with the Arab World are built on history, traditions and friendship. Over the past years, they have developed naturally — contracts have been signed in a number of sectors, and memoranda have been signed to enhance the active cooperation,” the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to the Republic of Tunisia and the Kingdom of Morocco said, adding that there is also progress in the economic sector in the past years.
Arshak Poladyan stated that Armenia’s relations with the Arab World are built on common interests and mutual respect and there are no historical or political issues.
The Ambassador also admitted that there are flaws, that is to say, the potential resources have not been fully used throughout the years, and one of them is the fact that the region of North Africa has been neglected.
Poladyan hopes the gap will be filled in the future and Armenia will open embassies in that region as well through multilateral cooperation, adding that this will help solve a number of security issues.
In his lecture, the speaker also touched upon the current state of the Armenian Diaspora in the Arab World, the role of Armenian communities, the operation of active scientific-educational centers at several universities and talked about the political developments, Turkey’s expansionary policy and other issues.
Head of the Chair of World History and its Teaching Methods, Professor Khachatur Stepanyan expressed gratitude for hosting the speaker and noted that the grave situation created in the region and the processes did not cast a shade on the importance of the lecture.
Professor Stepanyan also informed that Arshak Poladyan is an alumnus of the Armenian State Pedagogical University (Poladyan graduated from the History and Social Sciences Division of the Faculty of History and Geography and has maintained friendly ties with the ASPU throughout the past years).
Let us mention that during the visit, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia, diplomat, historian and Oriental studies expert Arshak Poladyan also had a meeting with Rector of the Armenian State Pedagogical University Srbuhi Gevorgyan.
