ArmInfo. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who is on an official visit to the Federal Republic of Germany, met today with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The official solemn meeting with the guard of honor and the military band took place at the residence of the German Chancellor. After the performance of the national anthems of the two countries, Angela Merkel invited Nikol Pashinyan e to inspect the Honorary Guard.
Welcoming the guest Angela Merkel, giving great importance to the official visit of the Armenian Prime Minister to Germany, expressed confidence that the visit would give a new impetus to the Armenian- German friendly cooperation. Angela Merkel noted that Germany is interested in the further development of relations with Armenia and is ready to discuss prospects for expanding bilateral ties. She also stressed that Germany is closely following the processes taking place in Armenia, and is ready to help further deepen bilateral relations and support reforms in various fields.
Nikol Pashinyan thanked for the invitation to visit Germany and welcomed the opportunity to meet again with Chancellor Merkel and continue important discussions on strengthening Armenian-German relations. ''Your visit to Armenia was an important stimulus for the development of Armenian-German cooperation. I am proud that my visit took place just five months after your visit. This means that both of us are determined to lay the foundation for the Armenian-German advanced and targeted cooperation, "the Prime Minister said. The head of the Armenian government expressed confidence that today there are all the prerequisites for filling the agenda of the Armenian-German cooperation with new content. According to Nikol Pashinyan, the European direction remains one of the priorities of Armenia's foreign policy, and in this regard, cooperation with Germany as one of the leading EU member states is important. The interlocutors discussed a wide range of issues relating to the agenda of Armenian-German relations, bilateral and multilateral cooperation, Armenia-EU relations, international and regional issues.
In the context of deepening the Armenian-German economic cooperation, Nikol Pashinyan and Angela Merkel discussed the implementation of joint programs in the field of information technology, environmental protection and other areas, as well as opportunities for new initiatives. Both sides stressed that the implementation of the projects will help strengthen ties between the two friendly nations and improve the welfare of citizens. It was agreed to continue an active dialogue. The parties also touched upon the subject of liberalizing the visa regime of Armenia with the European Union. The interlocutors also exchanged views on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. Both sides stressed the importance of the negotiation process within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group co- chairmanship as the only format with an international mandate.