On March 10, 2023, Indo-Armenian Friendship NGO (IAF) hosted Mrs Nilakshi Saha Sinha, Ambassador-Designate of India to the Republics of Armenia and Georgia at the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). In what has become an IAF tradition, Mrs Sinha participated in an interactive session with the Indo-Armenian Community in Delhi, former students who have graduated from Armenian universities, JNU faculty, IAF members, volunteers and others interested in forging stronger ties between India and Armenia. 
 

The dignitaries present in the meeting included His Excellency Yuri Babakhanyan, Ambassador of Armenia to India and two former Ambassadors of India to Armenia, namely Amb. V.B Soni (November1997- July 1999) and Amb. Achal Kumar Malhotra (October 2009-April 2012). Dr. Abhishek Srivastava, Asst. Professor at the School of International Studies, JNU and Dr. Anush Gasparyan, Armenian Youth Ambassador in India and lecturer at the Delhi University were also present on the dais. During the brief meeting, IAF congratulated the Ambassador-Designate on her appointment and felicitated her with special gifts from Armenia. 

 

Mr Karen Mkrtchyan, Joint Secretary of the Indo-Armenian Friendship NGO welcomed the guests in an opening remark and thanked them for taking time out of their busy schedule to attend the meeting, while Mr Rananjay Anand, Co-Founder and President of IAF gave a brief history of the organisation and our activities. 

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All the distinguished speakers on the panel also addressed the attendees. While Ambassador Babakhanyan touched upon the growing Indo-Armenian ties, Ambassadors V.B Soni and Achal K. Malhotra fondly remembered their tenures as Ambassadors and wished the Ambassador-designate all the best in her forthcoming mission in Yerevan. 

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Mrs Sinha also shared a few words about India-Armenia historical ties and expressed her readiness and resolute to do everything during her tenure to take the bilateral relations between both nations to new heights. 

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The attendees also raised certain questions and made pertinent remarks, all of which were addressed by the Ambassador designate. 

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The official session was followed by informal discussions over high tea and refreshments. 

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We are grateful to Mrs Nilakshi Saha Sinha, His Excellency Yuri Babakhanian and Ambassadors Achal Kumar Malhotra and VB Soni and all other signatories and guests who came to the meeting. As conveyed to the Ambassador-Designate by our President Rananjay Anand, IAF is ready to cooperate in any way that she may deem fit during her tenure in Armenia.

 

Long live Indo-Armenian Friendship. 

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