16:33, 4 April, 2022
YEREVAN, APRIL 4, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan received today the delegation led by Head of the Great Britain-Armenia Friendship Group of UK Parliament Tim Loughton, the foreign ministry said in a news release.
The meeting sides highlighted the further deepening and strengthening of the relations between Armenia and the United Kingdom, emphasizing here the role of the parliamentary diplomacy.
The meeting touched upon the process of ongoing reforms in Armenia. In this context the British parliamentarians highly appreciated the democratic progress made by Armenia. Ararat Mirzoyan reaffirmed the commitment of the Armenian government to continue the process of strengthening democracy, rule of law, protecting human rights and fighting against corruption, and in this context valued the support of the United Kingdom.
The sides also discussed the current situation in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict zone and the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. Minister Mirzoyan presented in details the actions of the Azerbaijani armed forces on infiltrating into the village of Parukh in Nagorno Karabakh, targeting the civilian population and infrastructure, creating a humanitarian crisis in Artsakh, as well as the issues connected with the preservation of Armenian cultural and religious heritage in the territories that have come under the control of Azerbaijan.
The Armenian FM highlighted the efforts of the British parliamentarians aimed at condemning the human rights violations made by Azerbaijani troops during the 2020 war, the recent aggressive actions of Azerbaijan in the border with Armenia and in Nagorno Karabakh, as well as supporting the protection of rights of the people of Nagorno Karabakh.
The meeting sides touched upon the negotiations around a comprehensive peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Armenian FM highlighted the importance of starting negotiations within the frames of the OSCE Minsk Group, aimed at the final comprehensive settlement, including the clarification of the status of Nagorno Karabakh.
At the request of the guests, FM Mirzoyan also presented the Armenia-Turkey normalization process.