YEREVAN.- Regardless of the geographical distance between our countries, centuries-old deep relations were established between the peoples of Armenia and Ireland, Foreign Minister Edwarad Nalbandian said on Tuesday.

“Armenia gives importance to the development, fostering and enlargement of relations with Ireland,” Nalbandian said during a joint press conference with Eamon Gilmore, OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Republic of Ireland.

“We had a very fruitful meeting with Mr. Gilmore last year in Dublin and we used the opportunity of this visit to discuss a wide range of topics concerning bilateral relations, regional and international issues,” he added.

The Minister recalled that during the elections for the OSCE presidency, Armenia supported Ireland’s candidacy and I reaffirmed that Armenia will support all those steps which the Irish chairmanship will initiate to make the OSCE a more efficient and vibrant organization.

“We discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, as one of the key issues on the agenda of Ireland’s Chairmanship is related to the strengthening of peace and stability in the South Caucasus, which is undoubtedly very important for our country,” Nalbandian told the reporters.

He stressed that they share the opinion that there is no alternative to peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. “In this respect, Armenia’s position is line with that of the international community reflected in the statements of OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries’ Presidents in L’Aquila in 2009, in Muskoka in 2010 and in Deauville in 2011,” he added.