RA FOREIGN MINISTER EDWARD NALBANDIAN PAYS VISIT TO CZECH REPUBLIC

Noyan Tapan
Feb 19, 2009

PRAGUE, FEBRUARY 19, NOYAN TAPAN. On February 18, RA Foreign
Minister Edward Nalbandian met with Premysl Sobotka, the President
of Czech Republic Senate, in Prague. Emphasizing the tendencies of
development of cooperation between the two countries recently, the RA
Foreign Minister said that parliaments have an important role in the
process of strengthening and deepening of bilateral cooperation. As
a successful example of cooperation between parliaments he mentioned
the organization of an event dedicated to Spitak earthquake 20th
anniversary in 2008 December in Czech Republic Senate and thanked
the Senate President for that initiative.

During the meeting Premysl Sobotka and E. Nalbandian touched upon the
relations between Armenia and the European Union. The interlocutors
stressed that the EU Eastern Partnership proposal opens new ways for
deepening the cooperation.

Issues regarding Armenia-European Union relations, regional and
international problems were on the agenda of E. Nalbandian’s meeting
with Karel Schwarzenberg, the Czech Republic Foreign Minister,
the Chairman of the EU Council of Foreign Ministers held the same
day. Highly assessing the tendencies of development of Armenian-Czech
relations, the Ministers mentioned the necessity to enlarge the
legal-contractual sphere as an important circumstance for giving a
new spirit to cooperation.

The interlocutors also touched upon ways of deepening trade and
economic partnership. E. Nalbandian said that the results of the
Armenian-Czech business forum held in 2008 July in Yerevan are
evidence of an important potential for deepening partnership in the
economic sphere.

Different spheres of Armenia-European Union cooperation were also
discussed in detail during the meeting. K. Schwarzenberg said that
before the Eastern Partnership summit to be held in May in Prague
the European Commission and the EU presidency will work out concrete
proposals in that direction.

E. Nalbandian also discussed the latest developments of the Nagorno
Karabakh settlement negotiations with the Foreign Minister of Czech
Republic. In that context he drew attention of EU Council of Foreign
Ministers Chairman to Azerbaijan’s bellicose policy emphasizing that
it damages EU’s steps aimed at strengthening stability and security
in the South Caucasus.

The Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Czech Republic also touched
upon the negotiations on normalization of Armenian-Turkish
relations. K. Schwarzenberg on behalf of EU expressed assistance to
the steps undertaken by Armenia in that direction.

According to the report of the RA Foreign Ministry Press and
Information Department, the same day E. Nalbandian returned to Yerevan.