Judith Farnworth, the newly-appointed ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom (UK) to the Republic of Armenia, handed over today her credentials to President Serzh Sargsyan.
The president congratulated the ambassador on her appointment and wished her success, stressing that there are all the prerequisites to strengthen interstate ties and broaden cooperation with the United Kingdom, as well as to elevate bilateral relations to a qualitatively new level.
Serzh Sargsyan expressed the hope that the newly-appointed ambassador will make every effort to push forward the Armenian-British interstate agenda and enrich it with new initiatives.
During the meeting, the parties attached importance to inter-parliamentary cooperation in which, they were certain, the two countries’ parliamentary friendship groups have played a major role. President Serzh Sargsyan expressed the hope that the parliamentarians will continue their close contacts and the dynamics of holding regular consultations on issues of mutual concern after the establishment of a new friendship group in the UK parliament. Armenia’s president stressed the key role of Baroness Caroline Cox in the development of inter-parliamentary and Armenian-British ties on the whole, adding that she has also created a good tradition of Nagorno Karabakh visits.
The RA president and the UK ambassador also spoke highly of the level of Armenian-British cooperation in the defense sphere and in that regard, emphasized the discussions held in Yerevan in September 2014 and the conclusion of the Defense Cooperation Plan.
Serzh Sargsyan and Ambassador Farnworth placed great importance on cooperation in the trade and economic sphere and within the frames of international organizations, e.g. the UN, OSCE etc.
Judith Farnworth underscored that Great Britain closely follows the OSCE Minsk Group’s activities and seeks to support the given peace process format by all possible means.
The president thanked Great Britain for its impartial position on the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as well as on other issues which are of vital importance to Armenia.
The UK ambassador noted that her country is ready to take a leading role in the issue pertaining to the development of a new legal framework regulating the cooperation between Armenia and the European Union which, she was sure, could become a driving force to promote and enhance cooperation between Armenia and Great Britain both in bilateral and multilateral formats.