Armenia’s Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, who is in Russia on a working visit, met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on August 31.
At the beginning of the enlarged meeting following the tête-à-tête one, the Russian Foreign Minister welcomed Ararat Mirzoyan on his first visit to Moscow, adding that during his tenure as Speaker of the Parliament, Mirzoyan had already managed to build strong partnerships with his Russian counterparts. Armenia’s Foreign Minister noted that this visit demonstrates the readiness of the Armenian side to further promote the bilateral allied relations based on the centuries-old ties of friendship and brotherhood.
Foreign ministers Ararat Mirzoyan and Sergey Lavrov discussed in detail a wide range of key issues on the Armenian-Russian relations, as well as on the international and regional agenda. In this context, the importance of regular contacts at the highest levels was emphasized.
“We assume that the allied states are objectively interested, and guided by the principles of mutual assistance, are in favor of increasing the allied capabilities, both in security, economy and other spheres,” said Minister Ararat Mirzoyan. They also exchanged views on the most pressing issues of the bilateral agenda within the framework of intergovernmental economic cooperation, as well as inter-parliamentary and military-technical cooperation commissions.
The issues of regional peace and stability were among the key topics of the meeting. In this context, Minister Mirzoyan noted: “Peace and stability in the region are our strategy; we are ready for an active dialogue in that direction. However, the situation in the region is rather tense, which is largely due to Azerbaijan’s destructive policy. I would like to state that Baku is not fulfilling its obligations under the trilateral statement of the leaders of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan on November 9, 2020, which was achieved due to the personal efforts of Vladimir Putin. Moreover, in violation of international law, Azerbaijan is taking open provocative actions, which are a direct encroachment on the sovereign territory of Armenia, which we have been facing since May 12 this year. All these actions are accompanied by the continuous aggressive and anti-Armenian rhetoric of the Azerbaijani authorities.”
Touching upon the current situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Armenia’s Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan stressed the key role of Russia in the work carried out within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs. Mirzoyan highlighted the Co-Chairs’ statements after 9 November 2020, which emphasize in particular the need to refrain from provocative rhetoric and actions and to resume the negotiation process under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group as soon as possible for a just and long-lasting settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
At the end of the meeting, the foreign ministers of Armenia and Russia Ararat Mirzoyan and Sergey Lavrov participated in the joint press conference.
