Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, who is in Bulgaria on an official visit, met with members of the Bulgaria-Armenia Friendship Group of the Bulgarian National Assembly.

According to the Foreign Ministry's press service, Mirzoyan and head of the Bulgaria-Armenia Friendship Group Afanasi Zafirov agreed that the two countries have established effective and mutually beneficial cooperation based on the historical ties between the two peoples, mutual sympathy and trust over the years, both in bilateral and multilateral formats. The sides underscored the significant role of the Bulgarian-Armenian community in strengthening the Armenian-Bulgarian relations. The interlocutors touched upon parliamentary diplomacy as an important direction for the development of the relations between the two countries, noting with this respect the activation of contacts between the parliamentary groups and the cooperation at the international parliamentary platforms.

During the meeting, the sides also exchanged views on the possibilities of promoting the cooperation between Armenia and Bulgaria in trade-economic, tourism, education and cultural spheres, for which there is a rich legal-contractual framework comprising more than 60 documents.

Minister Mirzoyan presented his interlocutors the situation on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as well as the processes aimed at the establishment of regional peace and stability.

The sides agreed that the solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict should be comprehensive within the mandate of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship and as a result of peaceful negotiations.

FM Mirzoyan underscored the urgency of humanitarian issues, particularly the repatriation of Armenian POWs and civilians detained in Azerbaijan after the 44-day war, and the need to preserve the Armenian historical and cultural heritage in the territories taken under Azerbaijani control.