Pashinyan on Palestinian-Israeli conflict: Armenia has always  supported "two states" principle adopted by int l community

ArmInfo. Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, and President of the Arab  Republic of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, made statements to media representatives after their meeting. 

As the press service of the RA Government reports, Prime Minister  Pashinyan noted in his speech, in part:

"Your Excellency, Honorable President of the Arab Republic of Egypt,  Abdel Fattah el-Sisi,

Dear attendees, Ladies and gentlemen,

First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the  Honorable President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Abdel Fattah  el-Sisi, for the invitation to pay an official visit to Egypt, as  well as for the warm hospitality shown to me and the delegation led  by me.  Egypt is one of Armenia's key partners in the Middle East,  and I appreciate this opportunity to meet. The frequency of contacts  between the top political leaders of our countries, the mutually  beneficial multi-sector cooperation are not only the evidence of warm  relations between our countries, but also testify to a joint vision  for the future.

Due to the tensions and unfolding processes in the South Caucasus and  the Middle East, during the meeting with President el-Sisi, we  touched on security, political and regional issues, as well as the  efforts of Armenia and Egypt aimed at establishing peace and  stability in the South Caucasus and the Middle East, respectively.   Emphasizing the support of international partners for establishing  peace in the South Caucasus, I expressed to President el-Sisi  Armenia's high appreciation for the balanced and constructive  position adopted by Egypt in this matter.

I presented my colleague with the latest developments in the  negotiations with Azerbaijan, reaffirming the readiness of the  Armenian government to normalize relations based on the recognition  of the territorial integrity of the two countries and the  implementation of the border demarcation process in accordance with  the 1991 Declaration of Alma-Ata. For the stability of the South  Caucasus and the wider region, the unblocking of regional  infrastructures is also of key importance, based on the principles of  respect for the sovereignty and jurisdiction of states, reciprocity  and equality. In this regard, we developed and presented the  "Crossroads of Peace" project, the implementation of which can  completely change the situation in the region and establish mutually  beneficial cooperation, connecting the East to the West and the North  to the South.

Mr. President,

Armenia expresses regret for tens of thousands of innocent victims as  a result of escalation of military operations in Gaza. We have also  experienced the horror of attacks on civilians and civilian  infrastructure, and we join the calls of the international community  for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. In this regard, we highly praise  the steps taken by Egypt to ensure uninterrupted access of  humanitarian aid to Gaza, to receive wounded Palestinians and to  evacuate foreigners. We also discussed and need the support and  advice of our Egyptian partners regarding our delivery of  humanitarian aid to Gaza, and I express gratitude to President  el-Sisi for his willingness to help in this matter. Our foreign  ministers will deal with this issue. As for the Palestinian-Israeli  conflict, Armenia has always supported the "two states" principle  adopted by the international community.

I would like to note with satisfaction that today Armenia and Egypt  are effectively cooperating in the fields of politics, economy,  science, high technologies, education, culture, tourism and other  fields. Effective cooperation has also been formed in a number of  multilateral platforms. Egypt is also a reliable partner for us in  our relations and dialogue with the Islamic world.

I cannot fail to mention that the Egyptian-Armenian community has a  special role in the relations between Armenia and Egypt, which for  centuries has contributed both to the development of Egypt and to the  strengthening of ties between our countries. In this regard, I must  express special thanks for the care that our compatriots living in  Egypt have always enjoyed and continue to enjoy at the state level.

Honorable Mr. President,

Following your visit to Armenia, the increase in the interest of  Egyptian investors towards Armenia has become noticeable. Managers  and representatives of famous Egyptian companies visited our country  in order to get acquainted with investment opportunities on the spot.  I hope that during the meeting with Egyptian businessmen within the  framework of this visit, we will give an additional impetus to  economic relations.  At present, practical steps are being taken in  the direction of the development of trade and economic relations. In  the current year, it is planned to hold the regular session of the  intergovernmental joint commission between the Republic of Armenia  and the Arab Republic of Egypt, which will also include a business  forum. During the year, it is expected to hold two more  sector-specific business conferences. The Armenian government will  encourage Armenian businessmen to participate in the mentioned  conferences to be held in Cairo.

Tourism is developing dynamically in bilateral relations. Egypt has  been one of the preferred vacation destinations for our citizens for  years, and the number of our tourists is growing significantly every  year.  Dear President el-Sisi,

Summarizing my speech, I would like to emphasize again the importance  of high-level mutual visits in the last two years and wish our states  strong relations and new achievements in joint work for the welfare  of our peoples. Thank you once again for your warm reception. Thank  you".