On the 4th of May 2021, University of Halabja (UoH) and Armenian Genocide Institute Foundation (AGMI) had a virtual meeting in which a number of academic staff were present including the president of the UoH Dr. Mahabad Kamil Abdullah, dean of College of Humanities, dean of Administration and Law and head of IRO from UoH and Dr. Harutyun Marutyanon, director of the AGMI foundation and one of the Institute staff members from AGMI.
At the beginning, Dr. Mahabad showed her sincere gratitude to the director of AGIM for offering such an opportunity to have a formal meeting and build relations with UoH. Then, Dr. Mahabad stated that UoH is recording a historical day by building academic relations with AGMI and starting working with them. She also added, “Both Armenians and Kurdish people experienced tragic events in which thousands of innocent people were killed and suffered”.
Later, Dr. Mahabad discussed the articles of the MoU in detail including providing UoH with assistance in opening a Genocide Museum or Center by AGMI and she also asked for sharing the experience from the people who work in the Armenian Genocide-Museum Institute with UoH staff who will work in the center in the future.
After that, Dr. Marutyanon thanked Dr. Mahabad and stated that AGMI is ready to cooperate with UoH and provide them with assistance in opening the center of Genocide at UoH as well as conducting any academic and joint-works with UoH in the future. He added that this MoU is the only one they signed with an institution or university in the Middle East.
At the end, the participants of the meeting made their comments and recommendations on a number of points which were included in the MoU such as exchanging staff between both parties and working on mutual benefits in general.