PRESIDENT OF ARMENIA TO PAY OFFICIAL VISIT TO GERMANY

ArmInfo
2010-03-16 11:25:00

ArmInfo. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan will pay official visit
to Germany.

As Armenian Foreign Ministry press service told ArmInfo, the details
of the upcoming visit were discussed in Berlin on March 15 by Armenian
and German foreign ministers. Armenian FM Edward Nalbandyan, being
in Germany on official visit, thanked for the invitation and warm
reception and said Germany is one of the biggest investors in the
Armenian economy and promotes Armenia’s development programmes. The
parties also discussed the prospects of extension of cooperation in
culture and education, as well as considered the opportunities of
opening of Goethe Institute’s branch in Yerevan.

At request of German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, E. Nalbandyan
presented the course of the negotiation process on the Karabakh
conflict settlement. The parties emphasized the necessity to
continue the negotiation process in the context of statements by OSCE
Ministerial Council made in 2008 in Helsinki and in 2009 in Athens.

Moreover, the ministers touched on Armenia-EU relations, in particular,
the cooperation within the frames of EU Eastern Partnership programme
and the opportunities of facilitation of the visa regime. The issue
of normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations was also discussed
at the meeting. As Nalbandyan said, "if Turkey actually strives to
continue this process and achieve success, it should stop speaking a
language of preconditions and seek artificial reasons for the process
delaying. Ankara should take specific steps for ratification and
fulfillment of the Protocols". E.

Nalbandyan assured that Armenia is adherent to the process, it
initiated, and expects the same from Turkey.

According to the press service information, Minister Nalbandyan and
German chancellor’s foreign-policy adviser Christoph Heusgen discussed
the issues of the forthcoming visit of President Sargsyan to Germany.