Zohrab Mnatsakanyan: For Armenia, the priorities in the negotiation  process are the status and security of Artsakh

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.