Honorable journalists,

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We have just had thorough talks on a wide range of issues with the Foreign Minister of Ukraine Konstantin Grischenko who arrived in Yerevan on an official visit.

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We have underlined with satisfaction the positive dynamic registered in the Armenian-Ukrainian relations in 2010. It was mentioned that there are mutual willingness and every possibility to bring the cooperation between our countries to a new, higher level.

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As a result of our meeting which is the third one in the last three month, we have signed two documents- Program of the Armenian-Ukrainian cooperation in 2011-2012, as well as the Memorandum on the cooperation between the Diplomatic School of the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diplomatic Academy of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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The Program of the Armenian-Ukrainian cooperation defines the main activities that should be implemented in 2011-2012. In our opinion, such kind of coordinated activities are intended to give an important stimulus to the entire complex of the Armenian-Ukrainian inter-governmental relations and qualitatively increase the productivity of functioning mechanisms of our bilateral interaction, including also the spheres that we should jointly make up for.

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We have also discussed the concrete directions of interaction in the frames of the UN, OSCE, CIS, BSEC, Council of Europe and Eastern Partnership Program.

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Our act on the premise that the increase of the level and effectiveness of cooperation in the international scene based on mutual support is in common interests.

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We talked about the regional issues and the situation in the South Caucasus.

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The interaction in the frames of the OSCE the chairmanship which should pass to Ukraine in 2013 was a particular topic of our talks. In that context we underlined the interaction that is in line with the position on the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) issue presented by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and in the Ministerial meetings of the OSCE in Helsinki, Athens and Almaty, as well as the OSCE Summit in Astana in general.

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Naturally we had a detailed talk on our trade-economic issue, underlined the actuality and demand of the regular activity of the Armenian-Ukrainian inter-governmental Commission for Economic Cooperation, establishment of contacts between different economic entities, interaction in the humanitarian sphere and intensification of cultural exchanges.

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We also made an inventory on the legal – contractual base. We have nearly 70 inter-governmental and interdepartmental agreements between the two countries. Now we are preparing the visit of the President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan to Ukraine that is scheduled to be in the first part of the year and we agreed to prepare a number of bilateral documents signed in the course of that visit.

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As you see, there is a wide range of directions towards which we are intending to deepen our relations. And in that context we reached an agreement to hold regular consultations between our Ministries.

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I will finish my speech and will give the floor to Konstantin Grischenko.

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Please.

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Question: Minister Nalbandian the International Crisis Group issued a report on the current situation on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue two days ago. In the opinion of the analysts the report is of a biased nature. Are you acquainted with the content of the report and what are your comments on it?

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Answer: I have acquainted with the report. The authors of the report are presenting it as an expert judgment. As you know different experts can have different opinions on the same question. And those opinions are not always in line with the real situation. First of all, before giving an advice or assessment, forecasting, it is necessary to try not to pour oil on the flames. Regarding the Karabakh issue, we can qualify as experts first of all the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs who are well informed on the evolution and current situation in the negotiation process. Therefore from the viewpoint of expert assessments and prognosis, it is necessity to hear the opinions of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs.

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Question: PACE by the efforts of its chairman Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu reanimated the commission on Karabakh issue during the recent Bureau session. Why Azerbaijan is interested in the rebirth of this structure, while Armenia is not?

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Answer: Yes, for a very simple reason. It is one more proof of Azerbaijan’s interest to carry the discussion on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue to other formats, and not to continue the negotiations in the format that has an international mandate and already exists for years and by the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs is coming closer to the solution of the conflict.

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Baku is attempting to shift its internal propaganda to the international scene and make a noise regarding the conflict but not to deal with the settlement of the issue. The recent activities of that commission of the PACE did not show any particular effectiveness and usefulness from the viewpoint of backing of progress in the negotiation process. That is why; we had a position, as opposed to the Azerbaijan’s stance, which our parliamentarians presented, as well as the Armenian Foreign Ministry did. That is the difference between our positions.

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Thank you.