ArmInfo. Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan held a meeting with the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Enzo Milanesi, who is in RA as part of the delegation led by the Italian President.
Zohrab Mnatsakanyan reaffirmed Armenia's readiness for further development of relations between the countries, both in bilateral and multilateral formats, the press service of the foreign ministry reports. In this regard, the Armenian Minister highly assessed the first state visit of the Italian President to Armenia in the history of bilateral relations.
Expressing gratitude for the reception, Enzo Milanesi noted that Italy attaches importance to the comprehensive agenda that has been formed with Armenia. According to him, the visit of the Italian President is a good occasion for discussing steps to deepen relations that have a thousand-year history and are based on cultural communities.
The Armenian Foreign Minister presented to the Italian counterpart the recent domestic political processes in Armenia, stressing that the government of the republic during the last two months of its activity was able to prove its commitment to the implementation of the priorities set for justice and the rule of law, the establishment of equal economic and social opportunities for all and fight against corruption. Foreign ministers of the two countries exchanged views on ways to combat corruption.
During the meeting, the parties discussed issues of bilateral cooperation in the spheres of culture, science and education. In the context of strengthening business ties, the importance of restoring direct flights between Armenia and Italy was stressed.
In the context of Armenia-EU relations, Enzo Milanesi stated that Italy is making every possible effort to promote and advance the process of ratifying the agreement on a comprehensive and expanded partnership between Armenia and the EU. For his part, Zohrab Mnatsakanyan emphasized the importance of expanding cooperation between the EU and the EAEU.
The interlocutors also touched upon regional issues, in particular, the processes surrounding the Iranian nuclear program.
Zohrab Mnatsakanyan reaffirmed Armenia's commitment to an exclusively peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict in the format of the co-chairmanship of the OSCE Minsk Group, stressing that the priority for the Armenian side in the negotiation process is the status and security of Artsakh. According to him, the military rhetoric, constantly voiced by Azerbaijan and the spreading of the Armenian-hatred, are aimed at undermining efforts to establish peace. The Armenian and Italian Foreign Ministers in the issue of promoting the negotiation process noted the importance of creating an atmosphere conducive to peace.