SITA website, Bratislava, Slovakian
March 19 2010

Slovak, Armenian ministers discuss regional issues, sign bilateral accords

Bratislava/Yerevan, 19 March: Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Miroslav
Lajcak and his Armenian counterpart Edvard Nalbandjan agreed on the
need to intensify relations between both countries during their talks
in Yerevan on Thursday [18 March]. They signed an intergovernmental
agreement on air services and a memorandum of Ministries of Foreign
Affairs on cooperation in the area of European integration, spokesman
for the Slovak department Peter Stano informed SITA news agency.

In addition to discussions about energy questions and greater
development of economic contacts, the ministers also spoke about
relations between Armenia and Turkey in the light of their
reconciliation process. They also touched the subject of the
unrecognized state in Azerbaijan — Nagorno-Karabakh, whose president
however is the Armenian head of state, as well as cooperation between
Armenia and the European Union. In this connection, Minister Lajcak
offered to his Armenian partner cooperation with Slovakia in the
program of Eastern Partnership of the EU.

During his visit to Armenia, Minister Lajcak also met with President
Serj Sargsyan and Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan. He opened a
Slovak-Armenian trade forum in the capital.