Poland in Armenia

Poland established diplomatic relations with the Republic of Armenia on February 26, 1992, but the final procedure ended in November 1992. The Embassy of Armenia in Warsaw was opened on April 6, 1998, while the Polish Embassy in Yerevan on February 28, 2000.

The first official Polish visit to Armenia at the highest level took place in November 2001, when the President of the Republic of Poland Aleksander Kwaśniewski met with the President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan. During the following years, the political cooperation has developed on a positive note, no problems were noted.

The main foreign partner of Armenia is the Russian Federation. According to the data of 2018, the turnover with the RU accounted for USD 1.92 billion, ie 26.1% of total trade in Armenia. The total turnover of Armenia with the European Union countries is USD 1.83 billion, which is 24.8%. The main EU AM partners from the EU are Germany, Bulgaria, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium (contrary to the facts one can find information that the EU is AM's main trading partner - the indicators have been contradictory for several years). In 2018, Poland took the 25th position as a trade partner of Armenia. Our trade turnover accounts for only 0.71% of the total turnover in Armenia. Economic cooperation between Poland and Armenia is relatively small, turnover is several tens of millions USD each year, while Armenia has a negative balance on mutual trade due to the advantage of imports from Poland. The only Polish investment operating in Armenia since 2014 is "Lubawa-Armenia". On December 14, 2017, a new agreement was signed between the company "Lubawa-Armenia", and MON AM for the supply of special equipment, the end of implementation - the first quarter of 2019.

Cultural cooperation is primarily focused on the promotion of contemporary Polish art and literature in Armenia, which is implemented both by the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Yerevan, as well by the Union of Poles in Armenia "Polonia". The cooperation of the Embassy with a range of local theaters, galleries and publishing houses aims at shaping and molding the knowledge about Polish culture, customs and traditions. The initiatives carried out by the most important and the most popular Festivals in the region are of great importance in terms of promoting and providing the visibility of Polish culture. Among the most relevant ones are International Film Festival "Golden Apricot", "Armmono" - One Man Show International Festival, International Festival of Animated Films - "ReAnimania". As  partners of the Embassy, these events attract a huge audience, presenting them the most interesting and the richest heritage of Polish cinematography and visual art. It is also worth stressing that in 2018 the Embassy joined EUNIC Global cluster and since then has started also operating within this framework.

In the area of ​​scientific collaboration between Poland and Armenia, it should be emphasized that since 2011 a scholarship program has been in force between the Government of the Republic of Poland and the Government of the Republic of Armenia in the field of culture, science and education. Students at Bachelor, Master and Doctoral levels can take part in foreign exchanges. An important achievement for Armenia is also joining the ERASMUS + program. Thanks to given programs enabling studies abroad, one can improve his/her communication, language and intercultural skills. The Embassy also deepens cooperation with the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA), providing Armenian students with information about the opportunities to get involved in diverse scholarship programs. The information about those programs is actively distributed among the interested parties through social media channels, as well as via local educational institutions. It should be also noted that scientific collaboration develops in the field of archeology with the Center of Mediterranean Archeology of the University of Warsaw.

In line with international agreements, the Republic of Poland recognizes documents on education with Armenia. The legal basis for the recognition of certificates, diplomas, academic degrees and titles obtained in Armenia until August 6, 2004 is the so-called Prague Convention of 1972. All documents that were issued during the validity period of the Convention and meet the requirements set out therein are still considered equivalent to those issued in Poland. Confirmation of recognition of the equivalence of the diploma covered by the above mentioned Convention can be obtained by applying to the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA). Granting a statement of equivalence of diplomas and academic degrees obtained in Armenia after August 6, 2004, as well as diplomas of doctors, dentists, pharmacists, nurses, midwives, veterinarians and architects issued before that date is only possible after the nostrification.