Friday, February 1 2019 20:24

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.