22:40,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. On December 18, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Paruyr Hovhannisyan received the newly appointed Ambassador of Japan to Armenia, Yutaka Aoki, on the occasion of handing over a copy of his credentials, the foreign ministry said.

According to the source, Deputy Minister Paruyr Hovhannisyan, congratulating Ambassador Aoki upon assuming his mission, noted that Armenia attaches great importance to the development of partnership relations with Japan. He expressed confidence that the Ambassador will contribute to further strengthening and deepening of relations between Armenia and Japan.

Both parties emphasized the significant unfulfilled potential of bilateral cooperation and expressed willingness to spare no efforts, particularly in the direction of developing partnership in trade, economy and business ties, tourism, education and science, cultural exchanges, etc. Mutual high-level visits, as well as the intensification of inter-parliamentary relations were also emphasized.

It is noted that Paruyr Hovhannisyan also briefed his interlocutor on the latest developments in the process of normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. In this context, the Deputy Minister particularly drew the interlocutor's attention to the "Crossroad of Peace" initiative of the Government of Armenia.

The Deputy Foreign Minister also expressed his gratitude to Ambassador Aoki for the support of the Japanese Government allocated for addressing humanitarian needs of forcibly displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh.