YEREVAN. - Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian on Monday received newly-appointed Spanish Ambassador to Armenia Ignacio Ibáñez Rubio (residence in Moscow) on the occasion of extending copies of his credentials.

Congratulating the Ambassador on the appointment, FM Nalbandian expressed hope that Mr Rubio will invest his rich professional experience to give a new impetus to the Armenian-Spanish friendly relations.

Thanking for the reception and wishes, Ambassador Ignacio Ibáñez Rubio assured that he will exert maximum efforts for the deepening and enhancement of the bilateral cooperation.

At the meeting, the further opportunities for the expansion of the Armenian-Spanish cooperation and its prospects—both in bilateral and multilateral formats—were discussed. Attention was also attached to the periodic consultations between the foreign ministries, as well as expansion of the legal framework.

FM Nalbandian and Ambassador Rubio exchanged views on the intensification of inter-parliamentary communication, promotion of trade and economic cooperation, organization of business conferences, as well as expansion of cooperation in the spheres of science, education and culture.  

The sides also referred to the different spheres of Armenia-EU cooperation. In this context, Ambassador Rubio stressed that Spain supports the launch of dialogue round the visa waiver with Armenia.

Apart from this, reference was made to the developments in the Middle East, as well as issues related to the protection of national and religious minorities and migration flows.  

The Armenian FM briefed the Ambassador on the joint efforts exerted by Armenia and the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing states towards creating relevant conditions for advancing the peaceful process of the Karabakh conflict settlement.