18:53,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 16, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan participated in the opening ceremony of the Munich Security Conference, the PM's Office said.

The Munich Security Conference is attended by dozens of presidents, heads of government and foreign ministers, as well as UN Secretary General António Guterres, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, OSCE Secretary General Helga Schmid and others.

Within the framework of the conference, a number of bilateral meetings of Prime Minister Pashinyan are scheduled.

 19:00,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 16, ARMENPRESS.  Armenian Freestyle Wrestling Team’s Arsen Harutyunyan has advanced to the finals of the European Championship.

Arsen Harutyunyan competed with Azerbaijan's Islam Bazarganov in the semifinals of the 57 kg weight category at the European Championship held in Bucharest, Romania's capital,  triumphing with a score of 10-0. 

The final of the 57 kg weight category of the European Championship is scheduled to take place on February 17.

 19:15,

 19:56,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 16, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met Michael Punke and Max Peterson, vice presidents of Amazon Web Services, in Munich.

Issues related to the cooperation between the Armenian Government and Amazon Web Services, implementation of joint programs were discussed, the PM's office said.

It is noted that the representatives of the company emphasized their willingness to develop and further strengthen the cooperation with Armenia and added that they are in the stage of discussions and dialogue with the Ministry of High-tech Industry.

In particular, during the meeting, reference was made to the implementation of programs in the field of digitization and the future joint works planned in this direction.

According to the source, Prime Minister Pashinyan emphasized that digitization works are among the priorities of the Armenian government and emphasized the importance of close cooperation in this direction.

Prime Minister Pashinyan also participated in "Digital trust and government continuity. Cloud computing in the era of shifting geopolitics” round table discussion, which was held behind closed doors. The event was organized by Amazon Web Services and the Munich Security Conference.

 20:17,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 16, ARMENPRESS.  Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces, First Deputy Minister of Defense, Lieutenant General Edward Asryan paid a working visit to the South-East and South-West border zones on February 14-16, the ministry said.

Lieutenant General Edward Asryan visited a number of military units, talked with servicemen on combat duty, got acquainted with the border situation, the conditions of service organization on the spot and also held consultations with the participation of the command staff of the military units. 

According to the source, Edward Asryan also followed the progress of construction of engineering and fortification structures, visited the newly built modular military unit and got acquainted with the work carried out.

 20:55,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 16, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met the President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Odile Renaud-Basso within the framework of the Munich Security Forum.

According to the readout issued by the PM's office, the Prime Minister highlighted the decision to hold the EBRD annual meeting in Yerevan this May and expressed confidence that it will be held at a high level.

It is noted that Nikol Pashinyan emphasized the close and effective cooperation formed between the Armenian government and the EBRD, as a result of which many programs are being implemented in different fields in our country. According to the Prime Minister, this cooperation also contributed to the stability and development of the economy of Armenia.

The EBRD President also expressed satisfaction with the cooperation with the Armenian government and added that the joint programs are continuously expanding.

Mrs. Basso emphasized the implementation of projects in infrastructure development, road construction, private sector and other directions and noted that EBRD is ready to expand bilateral cooperation.

At the meeting, the interlocutors discussed various issues related to further cooperation.

 21:11,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 16, ARMENPRESS. In response to the question of whether Iran's position regarding the "Zangezur Corridor" has changed, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Mehdi Sobhani of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Republic of Armenia stated that the official position of the Islamic Republic of Iran is that the territorial integrity of regional countries should be respected.

 “The final position of the Islamic Republic of Iran is that we cannot accept a territorial change in any way. Any territorial changes should take place on the basis of mutual recognition of the territorial integrity of both countries, and this  remains our final position. The final position of the Islamic Republic of Iran is that the territorial integrity of the countries of the region should be respected," the Ambassador emphasized.

According to the diplomat, it is unacceptable for Iran to see a tense situation around Armenia.

"We support all parties in establishing warm and peaceful relations as soon as possible. We are confident and believe that the only way is to have peaceful relations and friendly dialogue. And we have relations and dialogue with all the parties to facilitate peace in the region," said the Ambassador.

 21:28,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 16, ARMENPRESS.  The meeting of the Prime Ministers of Armenia and Iraq Nikol Pashinyan and Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani took place in Munich.

 During the discussion, the leaders emphasized the multi-sectoral cooperation between Armenia and Iraq and underscored the importance of consistently implementing the agreements that had been reached, the PM's Office said.

In this context, they highlighted the significance of the Iraqi president's visit to Armenia last year and the upcoming visit of the Armenian President to Iraq.

Ideas were exchanged on regional issues of importance, as well as other topics of mutual interest.

 21:49,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 16, ARMENPRESS.  Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with Amy Pope, Director General of the International Organization for Migration.

Issues related to cooperation between the Armenian government and the International Organization for Migration were discussed.

The Prime Minister referred to the reforms implemented in the field of migration in our country, including the steps towards digitization, his office said.

According to the source, Nikol Pashinyan presented the Armenian government's steps aimed at solving the humanitarian problems of forcibly displaced people from Nagorno Karabakh, and at the same time emphasized the continuous support of the international community.

Amy Pope emphasized the effectiveness of the reforms implemented in the field of migration in Armenia and noted that the organization, in turn, is ready to contribute to their further effective implementation through close cooperation. The Director General of the International Organization for Migration praised the Armenian government's steps towards solving the humanitarian problems of forcibly displaced people from Nagorno-Karabakh.

 22:07,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 16, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a meeting with the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade of Malta Ian Borg within the framework of the Munich Security Conference, the PM's office said.

Nikol Pashinyan and Ian Borg exchanged thoughts on the developments taking place in the South Caucasus. The Prime Minister referred to the principles of the Armenian side in the process of normalizing relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

At the same time, the effective use of the tools of the organization in accordance with the OSCE mandate to contribute to regional stability and security was emphasized.

Issues related to multi-sectoral cooperation and further development of ties between Armenia and Malta were discussed. The organization of bilateral high-level reciprocal visits was emphasized.