Armenian honorary consul in Yekaterinburg stripped off diplomatic mandate

The Armenian honorary consul in Yekaterinburg, Artashes Chilingaryan, was stripped off his diplomatic mandate on December 1, 2010, Armenian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Tigran Balayan has said.

Speaking to Tert.am, he refrained from further comments, saying only that there had been certain reasons for the dismissal.
He said information on a new consul's appointment will be available as soon as a proper candidate is found.

He also added that honored consuls are citizens of the hosting state and don't have the status of diplomatic servants.
Artashes Chilingaryan is a citizen of the Russian Federation.

The position of honorary consular officers is stipulated for in the 1963 Vienna Convention of Consular Relations.