Shafqat Ali Khan presents diplomatic credentials as Pakistan’s first envoy to Armenia

Shafqat Ali Khan, Pakistan’s first ambassador to Armenia, presented his letters of credence to President Vahagn Khachaturyan at a formal ceremony at the presidential palace, it emerged on Saturday. President Khachaturyan warmly welcomed Ambassador Khan, congratulated him on his appointment, and conveyed his best wishes for a successful tenure and the effective discharge of his diplomatic responsibilities. The president expressed his readiness to support efforts to further develop relationship between the countries and expand cooperation in areas of mutual interest. Ambassador Khan conveyed greetings and best wishes from President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to the Armenian president and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries. The two sides underscored the significant potential for expanding bilateral engagement, particularly in trade and investment, education, culture, people-to-people contacts, and other areas of economic cooperation. Earlier, Ambassador Khan called on Armenia Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Ararat Mirzoyan who welcomed him, congratulated him on the appointment, and wished him success in the discharge of his diplomatic responsibilities. The two sides reviewed the bilateral agenda, discussed avenues for expanding cooperation, and exchanged views on regional and international developments. Ambassador Khan also met Armenias’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mnatsakan Safaryan and handed over a copy of his letters of credence. The deputy minister noted that the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries represented an important policy decision by the leadership of Pakistan and Armenia. The two sides discussed prospects for further strengthening cooperation in bilateral and multilateral forums. Ambassador Khan’s engagements in Yerevan reaffirmed the commitment of Pakistan and Armenia to advancing bilateral relations and provided an opportunity to identify new avenues for cooperation across a broad range of mutually beneficial areas. He concurrently serves as Pakistan’s ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and as non-resident ambassador to Armenia. Pakistan and Armenia had established diplomatic relations in August 2025. Pakistan had been the only UN member state that withheld recognition of Armenia’s sovereignty since 1991, citing solidarity with Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

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