Bilateral relations exist between

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ' ...

and the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. Relations between the two countries have gradually improved since it was established on May 20, 1992. Foreign Minister

Eduard Nalbandyan Eduard Aghvani Nalbandian ( hy, Էդվարդ Աղվանի Նալբանդյան; born July 16, 1956) is an Armenian diplomat who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia from April 2008 to May 2018. Biography Edward Nalbandian was born i ...

visited the Philippines in 2012, making him the highest Armenian government official to ever visit the Philippines to date. Armenian-Philippine relations were further strengthened upon the visit of Armenian non-resident ambassador Raisa Vardanyan to Foreign Affairs

Secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a ...

Albert del Rosario on March 19, 2015. The most recent diplomatic engagement involved commitment to increase trade, investment and educational and scientific cooperation between the two countries. Both countries currently have non-resident ambassadors. The Armenian ambassador is accredited to Manila from

Hanoi Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi is ...

while the Philippine ambassador is accredited to Yerevan from

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

. Historically, Armenians played a significant role in commerce and trade in the Philippines. Jesuit priest Murillo Velarde noted that the Armenians along with other Orthodox Christians had presence in Manila as early as 1618. In 18th century, Armenians in Manila some of which came from Madras in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

where a major Armenian community is present, facilitated trade between the Philippine islands and India. Though not stated by the government itself, some Filipino politicians have expressed support for Armenia and the

Republic of Artsakh Artsakh, officially the Republic of Artsakh () or the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (),, is a breakaway state in the South Caucasus whose territory is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan. Artsakh controls a part of the former ...

against threats from

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of t ...

. The Philippines, Armenia, and Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) have deep religious ties through Christianity.

Trade and economic relations

Trade turnover (thous. US dollars)

The data in the chart above shows that the trade volume between Armenia and the Philippines from 2012 to 2014.

Migration

According to the Philippine Embassy in Moscow, there are at least 300 Filipinos settling in

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and i ...

, the capital city of Armenia but only 70 are registered with the embassy in 2018. The number of Filipino tourists in Armenia also increased from 674 in 2014 to 22,007 in 2017, according to the country's Tourism Committee. In the Philippines, Armenian tourists arrivals also increased from only 84 in 2012 to more than 100 in 2016.

Armenians in the Philippines

A smoking Armenian a Mughal and a Malabar native, detail from Carta Hydrographica y Chorographica de las Yslas Filipinas (1734)

Since the Spanish occupation of the Philippines, Armenians and Greeks are recorded to have been the first Orthodox Christians on Luzón. An eighteenth century document written by Pedro Murillo Velarde, a Jesuit historian describing their order's missionary labors in the Philippines, records the presence of such settlers in Manila as early as 1618. Although the number of Armenians in the Philippines is unknown, it was estimated to be around 114.

Resident diplomatic missions

* Armenia is accredited to Philippines from its embassy in

, Vietnam. * Philippines is accredited to Armenia from its embassy in

, Russia and maintains an honorary consulate in

References

External links

www.dfa.gov.ph
{{DEFAULTSORT:Armenia-Philippines relations

Bilateral relations of the Philippines