The Philippines will soon open honorary consulates in Tbilisi and Yerevan, the capitals of Georgia and Armenia, respectively, and thus establish a presence in the Caucasus region.

In his report to the Department of Foreign Affairs, Philippine Ambassador to Moscow Jaime S. Bautista, who retired on 22 August 2003, mentioned that the two new appointees, Messrs. Teimuraz Chichinadze and Albert Taroyan, both outstanding citizens of the neighboring states, recently called on him to sign their appointments and discuss matters of bilateral interest.

 Mr. Chichinadze, well known for his work in the power generation sector and a Tbilisi Council deputy, expressed interest in promoting the Philippines as a tourist destination, saying that Georgians may wish to experience the Philippines’ tropical climate as well as its beaches with white sand and blue skies, which to them is totally new.

For his part, Mr. Taroyan talked about the numerous trade and investment possibilities for Armenian businessmen, citing, among other things, the high demand for tropical fruits like bananas, pineapple and mangoes in Armenian supermarkets, and the comparative advantage of importing these from the Philippines.

The latest appointments place at five the total number of honorary consulates falling under the jurisdiction of the Philippine Embassy in Moscow, the others being Vladivostok (which covers the Primorsky Territory and Sakhalinsky Region), Kiev (which covers the Ukraine), and St. Petersburg (which also covers the Leningrad Region). END.