On December 9, the Institute of Oriental Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia hosted the newly appointed Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to Armenia, Ms. Amal Afifi, accompanied by Consul Tamer Ghali. The visit focused on strengthening bilateral academic cooperation and exploring new directions for joint initiatives.

Gohar Iskandaryan, Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies, expressed her gratitude to the Ambassador for the visit and underscored the Institute’s continued commitment to expanding its long-standing partnership with Egypt and to giving renewed impetus to scholarly collaboration.

Ambassador Afifi highlighted her strong appreciation for the cooperation already established with the Institute, noting the significant potential for its further development. She reaffirmed her readiness to support new research initiatives and emphasized that closer institutional ties will contribute to advancing regional studies and broadening academic cooperation.

During the meeting, Lilit Harutyunyan, Head of the Department of Arabic Countries, presented the main areas of long-term cooperation between the Institute and various Egyptian research institutions. She stressed that the Institute has cultivated productive collaboration with several leading academic centers in Egypt, including the Egyptian Center for Strategic Studies, with which a memorandum of cooperation has been signed. Within this framework, a number of joint international conferences have been organized. The discussion also reflected on ongoing cooperation and emerging opportunities that could underpin new scientific projects and enhanced engagement with Egypt’s research community.

The discussion further explored potential avenues to expand joint research initiatives and enhance scholarly exchanges on key regional issues.

Gor Gevorgyan, Senior Research Fellow of the Department of Arabic Countries, presented the program “Security Issues of the Arab States of North Africa in the Context of Regional Conflicts,” implemented with the support of the RA Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, Committee of Higher Education and Science. He emphasized the program’s strong applied relevance and its potential for further development within the broader context of regional conflict studies. He also noted that expanding cooperation with Egyptian research and analytical institutions would provide a valuable platform for joint analytical work and shared research outputs.

The meeting reaffirmed the institutional and strategic importance of the long-standing cooperation between the Institute of Oriental Studies and its Egyptian partner institutions. Both sides expressed their commitment to continuing joint research activities, promoting academic exchange, and advancing new initiatives that will further strengthen scholarly dialogue and mutual cooperation.