Ladies and Gentlemen!

I am pleased to welcome Foreign Minister of Sweden, my dear friend Margot Wallström, in Yerevan, who is paying an official visit to Armenia.

Today we had an opportunity to continue multi-faceted dialogue on bilateral agenda, pressing regional and international issues.

We have had numerous opportunities to meet in Stockholm as well as within different international conferences, forums. We recently met at the end of December. We agreed that the Foreign Minister of Sweden would visit Armenia and today I am very glad to welcome her in Yerevan

Together with Ms. Wallström we attached importance to the dynamic development of Armenia-Sweden relations, that particularly was activated after the opening of two embassies. Together with Ms. Wallström we opened the Embassy of Armenia in Sweden in Stockholm in 2014. The Embassy of Sweden was opened here as well. The Embassies actively engaged towards the development, expansion and deepening of relations.

Opportunities of the development of trade and economic, educational, cultural fields and healthcare were reflected on.

We agreed upon the improvement of the legal framework and investment promotion. You are aware that a range of entrepreneurships on Swedish capital operate in Armenia. In this regard, we placed significance to the Convention between the Government of the Republic of Armenia and the Government of the Kingdom of Sweden for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income and on Capital just signed.

We agreed with Ms. Wallström to continue the high-level political dialogue, hold consultations between two Ministries of Foreign Affairs on a regular basis in order to further deepen cooperation.

As an important field of development of bilateral cooperation we outlined the IT sector.

Surely, we touched upon Armenia-EU relations. We stressed the importance of launched negotiations on the new Armenia-EU framework agreement.

Reforms held in Armenia and support of the European partners were on the agenda of our negotiations.

I presented to Ms. Wallström the joint efforts of Armenia and the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries towards the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. We would have an opportunity to discuss various regional and international issues during a working lunch.

Due to time constraints, I would conclude my speech and would like to pass the floor to the Foreign Minister of Sweden.

The floor is yours, Margot.
 

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Armenia TV. I have a question for the Foreign Minister of Armenia. Mr. Minister, Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan in his recent comments ridiculed the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, and said that he would not meet them, simply because there is no point in doing that. He also accused Armenia of stubbornly maintaining the status-quo. How would you comment on that?

Edward Nalbandian. I do not think that this is an isolated case. It is well known that on numerous occasions Baku has used a language with respect to the Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group which is incompatible to the spirit of international relations. Not just the Co-Chairs are targeted but in general all those who dare to express opinion different from the Azerbaijani official position.

At one time they call the Co-Chairs "tourists", at another they call them Islamophobes. Baku even claims that the United States is the “birthplace of corruption”. This list can go on, but I think there is no need for that, you are also well aware of those statements.

What do they do it for? They have an illusion that through such "primitive, discrediting" statements they are able to blackmail the Co-Chairs and others and thus extort something.

Surprisingly Baku does not draw lessons out of that since it has a reverse effect. Year after year the opinion and position of the international community on that stance is becoming more and more targeted and clear.

As for the accusations that Armenia allegedly wishes to maintain the status quo. Armenia as well as the Co-Chairs is keen to change the status quo. Azerbaijan is first and foremost responsible for its preservation. How may the status quo be changed? Indeed, through negotiations and agreements.

Who then escalates the situation? Azerbaijan does. Who ignores the Co-Chairs' calls to reaffirm commitment to the peaceful settlement through negotiations. Who tries to change the negotiation format? Who rejects the creation of mechanism of investigation? Certainly Baku does.

The Azerbaijani side has concocted that once the mechanism of investigation is created that would lead to the consolidation of the status quo. To the contrary; once established, the mechanism would serve not only as an investigation but also as a prevention tool, which would create more favorable conditions for the continuation of negotiations and settlement of the issue. We hope that Azerbaijan will finally come to the conclusion that their posture does not give any advantages to them. Just the opposite.

Together with the Co-Chairs we would continue our efforts for exclusively peaceful settlement of the issue. There is no alternative to the negotiations.

Public Radio of Armenia. My question refers to the recently published report of the referendum expert team of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). We would like to listen to your assessment.

Edward Nalbandian. You know that the ODIHR does not monitor referenda as the OSCE participating states do not have a commitment to invite ODIHR to observe it. Despite that, Armenia has invited the ODIHR, pursuing a goal of holding as transparent referendum as possible under the monitoring of as large number of observers as possible, and leaving at the discretion of the ODIHR the composition, format and methods of the mission. ODIHR decided to send only four observers for short, quite limited time-frame.

In addition to the comments on the report already given by the Head of Central Electoral Committee and other officials, I would mention that in the letter addressed to us, the ODIHR commended continuous, fruitful cooperation between Armenia and the Office. The letter also refers to the ODIHR’s hope that Armenia will take into account the recommendations of the report, and that we will continue cooperation with the Office in the same spirit, aimed at further improvement of the electoral system of Armenia.

Needless to say that Armenia is interested to continue its cooperation. I was the first Foreign Minister to visit the ODIHR’s headquarter in Warsaw. The Foreign Minister of Poland visited it after I did, though the headquarter is situated in Warsaw.

We have established quite good, productive cooperation with the ODIHR and we are interested to continue it.