Governor Nazeli Baghdasaryan of Shirak Province on Wednesday hosted a delegation led by Ambassador Andrea Wiktorin, the head of the European Union (EU) Delegation to Armenia.

"For us, the initiatives being implemented by the European Union in our province are of particular importance. (...) we are ready to continue our cooperation, and I am sure that we will succeed here," said the governor of Shirak, welcoming the EU envoy.

Ambassador Wiktorin, for her part, noted that it is no coincidence that all the members of her delegation visiting Shirak are women, as they aim to encourage and support the governor of Shirak as a female leader.

"Shirak Province and, in particular, Gyumri [city] remain on our agenda. We will announce a new program soon; we are talking about a new economic program contributing to the development of Gyumri. (...) and I am sure, yes, the cooperation will be continuous," the EU envoy said.

Nazeli Baghdasaryan reflected on the matter of the returning of the Shirak Province’s POWs being kept in Azerbaijan, and underscored the efforts of Ambassador Wiktorin in resolving this matter.

The EU envoy, in turn, noted that the EU was doing everything to fully establish peace in the region, the proof of which is the EU observation mission that has been deployed on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.