Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, who is in Bulgaria on an official visit, met with Bulgarian National Assembly Speaker Nikola Minchev on Tuesday.

According to the Foreign Ministry's press service, the interlocutors highly assessed the bilateral relations between the two nations based on historical commonalities and warm friendly ties. They also highlighted the importance of inter-parliamentary contacts in terms of expanding and deepening them. Both sides emphasized the readiness to activate the ties between the friendship groups functioning in the parliaments of Armenia and Bulgaria, as well as to expand the cooperation at international parliamentary platforms.

Ararat Mirzoyan presented to Minchev the reforms implemented in Armenia, which are aimed at democratic development, protection of human rights and ensuring the rule of law. The Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs underscored that the democratic reforms in Armenia are irreversible.

The sides exchanged views on the possibilities of developing economic cooperation. In terms of activating human contacts and business ties, the implementation of the direct flight between Yerevan and Sofia was highlighted.

The sides also discussed the perspectives of the development of Armenia-EU relations.

The Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs presented the efforts of the Armenian side towards the establishment of peace and stability in the South Caucasus, the developments regarding the relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The sides underscored the need to reach a lasting and comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue through peaceful negotiations under the mandate of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship.

Minister Mirzoyan also touched upon the situation created as a result of Azerbaijani aggression against Artsakh in 2020. In particular, the issue of repatriation of prisoners of war and civilians illegally detained in Azerbaijan, preservation of Armenian cultural and religious heritage in the territories transferred to Azerbaijani control, deliberate creation of humanitarian problems in Artsakh by Azerbaijan.