24 March 2021, Consulate of the Republic of Armenia and the Cultural Center was inaugurated at Erbil Citadel in Erbil governorate In order to strengthen relations between Armenia and Iraq. The history of relations between Armenia and Iraq goes back thousands of years and in order to keep and strengthen these relations , the Consulate was inaugurated and Mr. Arshag Manougian, was appointed as general consulate. The Armenian community works to support the Armenian diplomatic representation, which is doing it’s utmost to deepen the friendship between the two countries. The inauguration ceremony of the Consulate began at the Church of the Holy Cross (surp khach) in Erbil, the reverend father Bedros Azarian blessed the Armenian flag in the presence of the Church’s pastor, Father Artun khalatian, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia and his accompanying delegation, Mr.Ardak apidonian , the ambassador of the republic of Armenia , Mr. Hrachia poladian , the consulate of The republic of Armenia , Mr. Arshag Manougian , the Representative of Armenian parliament Rustom Bakoian , representative of the Yazidi religion in Armenia, members of the Central and Sub-Administrative Committee of the Armenian community in Iraq , many different countries’ ambassadors  , clerics and members of the sect attended the inauguration. Then the meeting took place at the consulate where the flag-raising ceremony done , followed by the representative of the Kurdistan Regional Government speech, who urged the need to strengthen relations. Some guests also made a speech emphasizing the need to greater relations between the two countries. The Embassy of Armenia works alongside the Consulate in order to expand the economic, political and cultural relations between Armenia and Iraq. At the end, a dinner was held in honor of the attendees. The Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister and his accompanying delegation had visited the Armenian Orthodox diocese in Baghdad and the Church of the Virgin Mary in Al-Midan square before the inauguration , where they discussed with His Eminence the Archbishop Dr. Avak Asadourian and members of the Central Administrative Committee the challenges facing the Armenian nation and ways to confront them.