Armenian PM will visit the Netherlands this year, said Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan.
His remarks came Thursday at a joint press conference with Dutch FM Stef Blok.
According to the FM, this is the first bilateral visit since the establishment of diplomatic relations. The FM has arrived ahead of the opening of the Netherlands Embassy and the Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan’s visit to the Netherlands this year.
“This shows that relations and cooperation have reached a new stage after democratic changes in Armenia,” the FM said adding that this is an unprecedented event for the legislature to decide to appeal to the government with a proposal to open an embassy.
“This will open a new page in bilateral relations,” he said. The trade relations are actively developing, trade is growing, tourist flow from the Netherlands has increased by 23%. A direct flight will further deepen relations, Mnatsakanyan added.
He highlighted the importance of parliamentary cooperation and noted agriculture, healthcare, water management, waste management to be among the top priority issues.
The Minister recalled that the Netherlands ratified the Armenian-EU deal last year. And he added that the Dutch have a great interest in Armenian culture. Thus, the translated tales of Hovhannes Tumanyan aroused great interest among the Dutch readers. The Minister handed over a copy of the book to his colleague, and recalled the events held in the Netherlands on the occasion of the Komitas 150th anniversary.
“There is a rich experience in cooperation on international platforms. There is the potential for cooperation in the field of justice, education, science. We plan to expand the scope of cooperation - for example, in the field of ecology,” he said.
The sides touched upon international issues and the situation near Armenian borders.
“We agreed that all parties should make efforts to reduce tensions,” the FM said.
Zohrab Mnatsakanyan briefed his colleague over the situation around the Karabakh settlement, highlighting the importance of the balanced position of the Netherlands and support of the OSCE Minsk Group efforts.
Stef Blok, in his turn, promised to read the presented book and said that he had already visited Armenian Genocide Memorial. The Minister welcomed the fight against corruption in Armenia and noted the successful cooperation of the two countries over the past ten years.
