ArmInfo. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will visit the Netherlands this year. Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan said this at a joint press conference with Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok on January 23 in Yerevan.
Recalling that this is the first visit by the head of the Dutch Foreign Ministry to Armenia from the day diplomatic relations between the two countries were established, Mnatsakanyan noted that he was taking place on the eve of the opening of the Dutch Embassy in Yerevan and the visit of the Prime Minister of Armenia to the Netherlands this year.
"All of the above indicates that our relations and cooperation reached a new level after democratic changes in Armenia. It is an unprecedented event for the legislature to decide to ask the government to open an embassy. This will open a new page in bilateral relations," the head of Armenian Foreign Ministry stated.
At the same time, Mnatsakanyan emphasized that trade relations between the two countries are actively developing, trade is growing, tourist flow from the Netherlands has increased by 23%. In this context, he expressed the conviction that direct air communication will further deepen relations.
Pointing out the importance of parliamentary cooperation, the Armenian minister identified priority areas for cooperation with the Netherlands, including agriculture, healthcare, water management, and waste management.
Mnatsakanyan also recalled that the Netherlands last year ratified the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement. The Minister noted that the Dutch have a great interest in Armenian culture. "So, the fairy tales published in the translation of Hovhannes Tumanyan aroused great interest among the Dutch readers. And this copy of the Book of Hovhannes Tumanyan, which I want to convey to you vivid evidence that we have rich cultural interaction," Mnatsakanyan said, adding that close cooperation also established at international platforms, there is the potential for cooperation in the field of justice, education, science, it is planned to expand the scope of cooperation - for example, in the field of ecology. In addition to bilateral issues, the sides touched upon international issues and the situation in the immediate vicinity of the borders of Armenia. "We agreed that all parties should make efforts to reduce tensions," the Foreign Minister stated. Zohrab Mnatsakanyan informed his counterpart about the situation around the Karabakh settlement, stressing the importance of the balanced position of the Netherlands and support for the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group. In turn, Stef Blok promised to read the donated Book and said that he had already visited Tsitsernakaberd. The Minister welcomed the fight against corruption in Armenia and noted the successful cooperation of the two countries over the past ten years.
"I am convinced that the opening of an embassy in Yerevan will be a good step for the development of Armenian-Dutch relations," Blok said, also recalling that his country is promoting the development of relations between Armenia and the EU, as evidenced by the parliament's ratification of Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement. He also concluded by pointing out the expansion of trade and economic relations between the two countries. It should be noted that the foreign trade turnover of Armenia with the Netherlands by country of origin, in January-October in 2019 amounted to $ 162 617.1 thousand, which is 9.2% higher than the same period in 2018, and amounted to $ 246 491.9 in the exporting country thousand, which is 38.9% higher than in January-October 2018. Exports from Armenia to the Netherlands increased by 26.7% and reached $ 132 128.6 thousand. "-