US Secretary of State to visit Armenia over the current year

US Secretary of State John Kerry said at the meeting with Armenia's Foreign Minister, Edward Nalbandian, in Washington, on 4 June, that he is going to visit Armenia over the current year, press-service of Armenia's Foreign Ministry reported.

"Armenia today is an important partner with United States in a number of initiatives. Importantly, they're helping us in Afghanistan with ISAF, they've played a key role in Kosovo helping to keep peace there. And one of the most issues, obviously, that we all really want to try to see resolved one day is the frozen conflict of
Nagorno-Karabakh. It is critical that all the parties - when I say all the parties, I mean, obviously, the Azerbaijanis, but also Turkey, Russia, Iran, others - try to find a way to help break the impasse that has kept this struggle alive and always potentially dangerous," John Kerry stated.

"We also have other issues of great importance to us: the economic partnership, the development of the economy and strengthening of democracy, and the security of our friends, the Armenian people," Secretary Kerry said.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian thanked Secretary Kerry for the warm welcome and said it's a pleasure to him to be in Washington.

"Both countries have a good interaction in the international arena covering international regional security, proliferation, fight against terrorism, as you mentioned, peacekeeping operations from Kosovo to Afghanistan, other challenges, who are sharing vision - same vision - that it is important to continue efforts to find exclusively peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict based on the principles and norms of international law, particularly non-use of force, excessive force, self-determination, territorial integrity who are sharing the vision that the relations between Armenia and Turkey should be normalized without preconditions, who
are sharing the same values of democracy, fundamental freedoms, liberty, human rights, market economy, who are very thankful that during the last two decades since our independence, United States extended very important support for Armenia, and we are thankful for that, Minister Nalbandian said.