YEREVAN. – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan, who is in Bulgaria on an official visit, on Tuesday met with Bulgarian President Rumen Radev.

Congratulating each other on the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Bulgaria, the sides noted that during the past three decades the cooperation between two states has developed based on mutual trust and respect, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Mirzoyan and Radev touched upon the prospects for the development of the Armenian-Bulgarian relations, expressing mutual readiness to deepen the political dialogue between two countries, the cooperation in the spheres of trade and economy, transport, tourism, education.

The interlocutors agreed that mutual visits, including at the highest levels, would promote the full realization of the existing potential for cooperation in the spheres of mutual interest. The role of the Armenian community in Bulgaria as an important bridge connecting the two countries was also highlighted.

Referring to the prospects of international cooperation within the sphere of transport infrastructure, the interlocutors emphasized the importance of the implementation of active works towards the establishment of the Persian Gulf-Black Sea transport corridor.

During the meeting a reference was also made to the issues of regional and international security.

FM Mirzoyan briefed President Radev on the situation in the South Caucasus, particularly the recent developments regarding the relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the process of the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) conflict.

Both sides stressed that this conflict should be resolved through exclusively peaceful negotiations. In this regard, Minister Mirzoyan stressed the role of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship in the lasting resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and highly valued the  balanced position of Bulgaria on the settlement of this conflict under the mandate of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship.

Among other urgent humanitarian issues, the need for the return of the Armenian prisoners of war in Azerbaijan and the preservation of Armenian religious and historical-cultural heritage in Artsakh was stressed.

Also, the Armenian FM presented the normalization process between Armenia and Turkey to the Bulgarian President.