21:00,

YEREVAN, MARCH 16, ARMENPRESS. On March 16, Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Vahan Kostanyan received the delegation of the Iraq-Armenia Friendship Group of the Council of Representatives of the Republic of Iraq, headed by Mօhammed Siddik Mohammed, the Chairman of the Group, ARMENPRESS was informed from MFA Armenia.

Welcoming the members of the delegation, Vahan Kostanyan highly appreciated the positive development dynamics of the multi-faceted relations with Iraq, particularly emphasising the role and efforts of the parliaments of the two countries.

The sides discussed a wide range of issues on the agenda of bilateral cooperation, including Armenian-Iraqi cooperation in the spheres of economy, healthcare, education and tourism. The activation of the works within the framework of the Armenian-Iraqi Intergovernmental Commission, as well as political consultations between Foreign Ministries were stressed.

During the meeting, regional security and stability issues were discussed. The Deputy Minister briefed on the normalisation process of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations, as well as the situation in the region resulting from the blockade of the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan. Vahan Kostanyan underscored the inadmissibility of Azerbaijan’s speculations of the religious factor, as well as the groundless attempts to disrupt the traditional warm relations between Armenia, the Armenian people and the Arab world, noting that Armenia has traditionally friendly relations with the vast majority of Arab states. Vahan Kostanyan expressed gratitude to friendly Iraq for its unbiased position.