Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Monday talked briefly in Brussels, during the 10th anniversary events of the EU Eastern Partnership program.

Asked whether he spoke with the Azerbaijani president, PM noted: “Yes, a little. It was a very short conversation about the current situation.”

Pashinyan said he is sure that the talks will continue. “It’s very important that Nagorno-Karabakh returns to the negotiating table. It’s impossible to have a real settlement of the matter without Nagorno-Karabakh,” he said.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Monday also participated in the official dinner dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the EU Eastern Partnership and served on behalf of Donald Tusk along with the leaders of the Eastern Partnership member countries.

The leaders of the Eastern Partnership member countries and the other high-ranking officials delivered their welcoming remarks and touched upon the programs carried out within the Eastern Partnership over the past decade, the results of those programs, as well as the upcoming events and initiatives.

Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan participated on Monday in the meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the Eastern Partnership.  Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan delivered a speech in which he highlighted the fact that the 10th anniversary of the Eastern Partnership serves as a good opportunity to assess the achievements of the Eastern Partnership over the first ten years and to discuss the perspectives for cooperation.

“The Eastern Partnership is growing as a multilateral format for the partner countries having selected different paths and levels of involvement with the EU. The Eastern Partnership also serves as a major and strong platform for our bilateral cooperation with the EU,” Mnatsakanyan said.

On Tuesday, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s working visit to China has gotten underway. The PM’s plane landed Tuesday at the capital city Beijing airport.

Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with the country’s President Xi Jinping.

The Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations serves as a good opportunity to meet and discuss the prospects for the enhancement of cooperation between China and Armenia, the PM noted.

“Armenia attaches great importance to effective and constructive relations with China,” PM said, congratulating the Chinese President on the 70th anniversary of the establishment and revolution of China.

Jinping, in turn, noted that China is ready to participate in the construction of the North-South Road Corridor and other infrastructure projects.

During the meeting, the interlocutors also touched upon the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and stated that the conflict must be settled through dialogue.

The first open court pretrial hearing of the criminal case against second President Robert Kocharyan and some other former officials of Armenia has resumed Tuesday in Yerevan.

At Tuesday’s hearing, the court is expected to make a ruling on the motion by Kocharyan’s attorneys.

Presiding judge of the capital city Yerevan court of general jurisdiction denied the motion by the attorneys of Armenia’s second President Robert Kocharyan, and to the effect that he recuse himself from hearing this court case.

While the trial is in progress, the situation in the courtyard of the capital city Yerevan court of general jurisdiction remains tense as Kocharyan’s supporters and Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan’s supporters continue their protest. The two groups of protesters at the courtyard of the capital city Yerevan court of general jurisdiction are separated from each other by police barricades. The authorities’ supporters are chanting, “Nikol, Prime Minister,” whereas Kocharyan’s supporters—“Freedom to the President.”

President of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic) Bako Sahakyan and second President of the Republic of Artsakh Arkadi Ghukasyan have guaranteed that if the custody preventive measure against second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan is terminated, Kocharyan will act properly, won’t hinder the case examination, won’t avoid showing up to the body conducting proceedings and won’t commit an act proscribed by the Criminal Code.

Six people, including five children, have been killed as a result of a terrorist attack in the city of Scalbiyah in the north-west of the Syrian Hama province.

According to the Armenian Kantsasar newspaper published in Syria, among the children who died are Armenian girl Jessica Semerjyan.