YEREVAN.- Although Armenia and Uruguay are separated by thousands of kilometers the two nations are very close, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said on Friday.

Recalling that Uruguay was the first state to recognize the Armenian Genocide, Nalbandian stressed that it was not a mere coincidence that FM Luis Almagro opened his visit to Armenia’s capital from attending the Memorial to the Genocide victims.

“We are grateful to Uruguay’s leadership and people for becoming the second Motherland for thousands of Armenian Genocide survivors,” he emphasized.

On May 27 Armenia and Uruguay will mark the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

The Minister said that during the meeting they had discussed a wide range of issues related to development of relations in the fields of economy and culture. They also touched upon the regional and international problems, cooperation within the international agencies.

Edward Nalbandian thanked the Uruguayan side for position on the settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

In his turn Luis Almagro characterized the political dialogue between the countries as perfect.

Speaking about the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, he said Uruguay is not waiting but acting. He stressed that some powerful states are not ready for this move because of their interests.

“Armenia and Uruguay are fraternal countries,” he said.