Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan today met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Stef Block, who is in Armenia on an official visit, as reported the news department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia.

At the outset of the meeting, the Dutch foreign minister transmitted to his Armenian counterpart the official application to open the embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Yerevan, and in response, Zohrab Mnatsakanyan expressed gratitude to the House of Representatives of the Netherlands for deciding to open an embassy in Armenia. This is what the Media and Public Diplomacy Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia reported, adding that on the morning of the day of the visit, Stef Blok’s delegation paid a visit to the Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex and respected the memory of the Holy Martyrs.

“Greeting his counterpart, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan particularly stated the following: “This is the first visit of the foreign minister of the Netherlands to Armenia. We are witnessing positive dynamics in our bilateral ties. We are willing to shape a platform for close cooperation in trade, economy, culture and science. You are visiting Armenia in a period when we are witnessing interesting developments in the region and the world, and this will also be a part of our agenda. I cordially welcome you and look forward to a fruitful discussion.””

Expressing gratitude for the cordial reception, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands Stef Blok emphasized that it was a great honor and pleasure for him to be the first foreign minister of the Netherlands to visit Armenia.

The foreign ministers expressed satisfaction with the high level of political dialogue and emphasized the importance of steps for further strengthening of that dialogue. In the context of trade and economic cooperation, the parties benchmarked the steps to be taken to fully use the existing great potential.

Touching upon the partnership between Armenia and the European Union, the parties valued the role of the EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement as a major tool for promoting the reforms being implemented by the Armenian government and regulating relations with EU member states. In this context, Minister Mnatsakanyan highlighted the fact that the launch of dialogue over liberalization of visas to EU member countries is of primary significance for Armenia.

During the meeting, the parties touched upon several pressing global and regional issues. Minister Mnatsakanyan presented the latest developments in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as well as Armenia’s fundamental position on and approach to an exclusively peaceful settlement of the conflict.

At the end of the meeting, the foreign ministers gave a joint press conference.