19:46, 5 April 2023

YEREVAN, APRIL 5, ARMENPRESS. The President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan today received the delegation headed by Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Slovakia Marián Kéry, ARMENPRESS was informed from the President’s Office.

Greeting the guests, President Khachaturyan noted that Slovakia is one of Armenia's important partners in Europe, and our country is ready to expand cooperation with that country in all areas of mutual interest, on bilateral and international platforms.

"Since gaining independence, we have always felt the support of Slovakia. This year we mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, and it is a good opportunity to think about further expanding our cooperation.

I would like to thank you for your position on the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh. the statements that have been adopted by your parliament have been a support for us and we hope that it will continue in the future.

You have also done a great job in making the decision of the EU Council to deploy a long-term civilian observation mission in Armenia. Slovakia was one of the six countries that took the initiative and addressed the issue to the EU High Representative."

Thanking for the reception, Marián Kéry said: "Our visit has two main goals. The first is the occasion of the 30-year cooperation between Armenia and Slovakia. Secondly, we want to express our support to the part of the Armenian people, which is now in the zone of influence of the Karabakh crisis.

We visited the Genocide Memorial and the Museum yesterday and are very proud that our National Assembly condemned and recognized the Armenian Genocide in 2004.

In 2020, the 44-day war took place, when Azerbaijan attacked Nagorno Karabakh and also reached the borders of Armenia. That is why we adopted a resolution in 2020-2021 in our National Assembly condemning those steps taken by Azerbaijan."

During the meeting, Marián Kéry said that he is well aware of the events surrounding the blockade of the Lachin humanitarian corridor and stressed the need to restore the normal operation of the humanitarian corridor.

Referring to the regional realities, President Vahagn Khachaturyan emphasized that despite the existing problems, the goal of the Armenian authorities is to achieve lasting and stable peace in the South Caucasus. The President of the Republic emphasized that Armenia is committed to its position of establishing neighborly relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan, opening borders without preconditions and unblocking communication channels.

During the conversation, the efforts aimed at promoting inter-parliamentary diplomacy, as well as the organization of mutual visits at the highest political level, were emphasized by both sides.