YEREVAN. - Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian on Monday met with the Grand Chancellor and Foreign Minister of the Sovereign Order of Malta Albrecht Freiherr von Boeselager.

The latter has arrived in Armenia within the delegation led by Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta Fra' Robert Matthew Festing.

The interlocutors touched on the friendly ties established between Armenia and the Sovereign Order of Malta, as well the measures aimed at their development.

FM Nalbandian noted that the close cooperation established between the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia and the Sovereign Order of Malta back in the Middle Ages serves a solid historical and cultural basis for the expansion and strengthening of cooperation.    He also highly appreciated the humanitarian projects implemented by the Sovereign Order of Malta in Armenia and Artsakh.

For his part, Albrecht Freiherr von Boeselager expressed conviction that the official visit of the Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta to Armenia will open a new page in the bilateral ties.  

Nalbandian and Albrecht von Boeselager also discussed pressing international and regional issues, the situation in the Middle East and the Syrian crisis.

Apart from this, Armenian FM briefed his counterpart on the consequences of the aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh in April, the gross violations of the international humanitarian law and international human rights, which hindered the negotiation process of the peaceful settlement.

At the same time, FM Nalbandian referred to the joint efforts of Armenia and the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs towards creating relevant conditions to ensure  progress in the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict.