The opening of the Embassy of Armenia in Oman

Within the framework of the official visit of Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan to the Sultanate of Oman, the official opening ceremony of the resident Embassy of Armenia took place in Muscat on March 18.

The event was attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Sultanate of Oman, Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi.

The national flag of the Republic of Armenia was raised in front of the Embassy, the national anthems of the two countries were performed, and following the ceremonial ribbon-cutting, the official opening of the Embassy was formally announced.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia presented the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Oman, after which a brief conversation took place with the participation of the delegations of the two countries.

The ceremony was also attended by heads of several diplomatic missions accredited in Oman, as well as citizens of the Republic of Armenia residing in Oman.

The welcoming remarks by Minister Ararat Mirzoyan are presented below.

"Your Excellency Seyyid Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi,

Excellencies,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,

34 years ago, in 1992, months after Armenia declared its independence, the Sultanate of Oman became the first Arab state to establish diplomatic relations with Armenia. Coming as a new stage of our centuries-old cultural and civilizational ties, this step started a series of positive engagements that brought our relations to this significant level today.

Within this first ever visit to Oman on the level of the foreign minister, it is my great privilege and honor to be present here today yet for another historical milestone in the Armenia-Oman bilateral relations, the official opening of the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in the Sultanate of Oman.

The decision of the Government of Armenia to establish a resident embassy in Muscat not only reflects the existing effective and fruitful cooperation between our two countries, but is a clear indication of the ongoing enhancement of our warm political dialogue. Beyond its symbolic significance, the opening of this Embassy is a practical step aimed at realizing the full potential of our partnership and strengthening cooperation in economic, educational, and cultural domains.

Honorable Minister,

Excellencies,

Each and every day hundreds of millions of Muslims around the world greet each other wishing each other "Salam" - peace, a touching tradition that reflects the common desire of mankind for peace and harmony with their neighbors and friends, in their families, societies, and the wider world. Nowadays, with a lot of painful developments in the region, we again come back to the conviction that peace is the most important foundation for any kind of development and prosperity. Oman, the land of peace, as my colleague and dear friend Minister Al-Busaidi described it, has shown the world that peace comes through strong political will and commitment to diplomacy. The recent enormous efforts put forward by the Sultanate of Oman to prevent escalation in the region, are well-known to the world, and admired by many.

Similarly, Armenia has taken the commitment to build a peaceful future in the South Caucasus. After decades of hostilities, blockade of transport communications and economic hardships, the peoples in our region now have the opportunity to live and prosper in peace, and to enjoy the results of peaceful development and interregional cooperation.

These shared values, and common understanding, are also firmly set under the foundation of the bilateral relations of Armenia and Oman.

Dear friends,

Taking this opportunity, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to my Omani counterpart and dear friend Badr, as well as other distinguished Ministers in the Sultanate of Oman, with whom I had very fruitful meetings during this visit, for the hospitality and warm reception, as well as to all our Omani partners and friends for their steady support to our newly-established Embassy in its initial phase. I also wish our newest diplomatic mission all the success in their work expressing my confidence that we have just opened a new page of notorious Armenia-Oman relations.

I Thank you."