YEREVAN. – Armenian and Cypriot foreign ministers, Edward Nalbandian and Erato Kozakou-Markoullis respectively, held talks Friday in the Cypriot capital, Nicosia.

“It is very pleasing to continue the dialogue with Cyprus’ ally. In several days it will be the 21st anniversary of Armenia’s independence, and I would like to congratulate on that occasion. The people of Armenia can be proud that their country has achieved a significant progress in a short jump of time, and it enjoys the respect and trust by the international community,” Ms. Kozakou-Markoullis stated, Armenian MFA press service informs.     

In his turn, Nalbandian noted that he is happy to again visit Cyprus, a country whose parliament was one of the first in 1982 to recognize and condemn the Armenian Genocide, a country where there is an actively integrated and exemplary Armenian community. 

Subsequently, the two foreign ministers discussed several matters.

In the context of Cyprus’ current chairmanship in the European Union (EU), the parties exchanged views on Armenia-EU cooperation and discussed the Armenia-EU Cooperation Council session slated for the end of the year.  

They also examined the resolution of the Cyprus and the Nagorno-Karabakh issues, and Armenia’s and Cyprus’ mutual assistance to the efforts being made in this regard.  

Separately, the Cypriot FM gave details on Turkey’s threats and unlawful actions against Cyprus’ sovereign right to use its natural resources.  

Reflecting on the Azerbaijani murderer’s release, the EU Foreign Ministers’ Council Chairperson specifically said:

“We deeply regret and condemn [this] decision and are very much concerned by its impact on regional stability. Azerbaijan must fully honor the letter and spirit of respective international conventions, and, also, fulfill the diplomatic assurances and promises that were given.”   

Speaking about Armenian President’s initiative to normalize Armenian-Turkish relations, the Cypriot FM said in particular:

“I wish to salute the Armenian authorities’ efforts toward establishing regional stability, including [toward] normalizing relations with Turkey, which [that is, these efforts], sadly, are not implemented due to Turkey’s placing obstacles before the road to ratify the [Armenian-Turkish] protocols.”  

After their meeting, the Armenian and Cypriot FMs held a joint news conference.

Prior to the meeting, however, Edward Nalbandian delivered a lecture on Armenia’s foreign policy to Cypriot MFA’s senior staff and responded to their questions.  

Armenia’s FM also met with heads of the Cypriot-Armenian community organizations, during which Edward Nalbandian spoke about the measures being taken in Armenia’s foreign policy.