YEREVAN.- Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian received on Monday Palestinian chief negotiator, member of  Fatah party Nabil Shaath.

The Armenian people have warm feelings towards the Arab and Palestinian people and will never forget that Arab states sheltered thousands of Armenians who escaped the Genocide, said the Minister.

The Armenian President was among the first leaders to pay a working visit to Palestine back in 2000 when he met with the leadership of the Autonomy.

Minister Nalbandian stressed that Armenia is attentively following the recent developments in the Arab world expressing hope the existing problems will be solved by means of democratic reforms, foreign office press service informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

The sides discussed a number of issues, including the current stage and prospects for resolutions of the Middle East conflict.

“Armenia’s geographic location is close to the Middle East and we consider important efforts to establish peace and stability in the region. We welcome initiatives aimed to solve the existing problems on the basis of compromise acceptable to the both sides,” Nalbandian stressed.

Nabil Shaath spoke about the forthcoming vote on Palestine’s independence at the UN General Assembly expressing gratitude for the Armenian side’s balanced stance on the conflict voiced in the international agencies. The Palestinian delegation requested Armenia’s support to the statehood bid.