On September 29, the 35th Independence Day of the Republic of Armenia was celebrated in Erbil in an event organized by Armenia’s Consulate General commemorating Armenian-Kurdistan relations.

“Armenia and the Kurdistan Region share deep historical and cultural ties. We are geographically close, but our relationship is defined by much more than geography,” Armenia’s Consul General Rafayel Movsesyan said at the event.

“When I meet middle-aged and older people here, very often one of the first things they say to me is: ‘Radio Yerevan’.

“They tell me they grew up listening to it. For generations, it was one of the very few official voices through which Kurds could hear their own language, music, and culture. These connections go back even further.

“The great Armenian composer Komitas collected Kurdish folk melodies and, in 1903, published what is regarded as the first collection of Kurdish music. Aram Tigran, the legendary singer loved among Kurds, was Armenian,” he said.

“These are just a couple of examples of how Armenian and Kurdish cultures have been speaking to each other for generations. Today, we are giving those historical ties a new, practical meaning.”

He noted that trade between Armenia and the Kurdistan Region reached around $350 million in 2025, while business visits, forums and direct contacts are also increasing.

Furthermore, he said that, over the past five years, around 60 officials from the Kurdistan Region have received professional training at the Diplomatic School of Armenia. “We intend to continue this program next year, and I am very pleased that several of its graduates are here with us tonight.”

He also announced that the first Armenian Armath Engineering Laboratory in the Kurdistan Region will open in Ranya in the coming weeks, giving young people the opportunity to study engineering, programming, and technology.

Safeen Dizayee, Head of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Department of Foreign Relations, gave a speech at the event. Afterwards, in a post on X, he announced that on “behalf of KRG, I wished the people and Government of Armenia peace and prosperity and underlined our good bilateral ties.”