On January 15, RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan received Director of the Regional Representation of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in the South Caucasus SimoneWolken, Deputy Director, UNHCR Representative in Georgia Hai Shallow, Director of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Armenia Christoph Bierwirth and Foreign Affairs and Public Relations Correspondent for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Armenia Anahit Hayrapetyan.

The Regional Representation of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the South Caucasus (Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan) was established on 1 January 2015 with its headquarters in Tbilisi. Mrs. Simone Wolken and Deputy Director Hai Shallow are in Armenia to become familiar with the activities of the Office of the UNHCR in Armenia and to coordinate the activities of the Office.

Greeting the guests, the minister particularly said: “It is a pleasure for me to see the year start with a visit of the regional directors of the UNHCR. I hope our collaboration will be active and effective.”

Simone Wolken assured that her organization is ready to do everything possible to support the solutions to housing, social, health-related and educational issues facing Syrian-Armenians, as well as the Armenians who have moved to Armenia from Iraq and Ukraine. The sides discussed the possible ways of solving the issues and indicated the spheres for future cooperation.