On June 20, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Edward Nalbandian received Dr. Nabeel A. Shaath, the Commissioner of International Relations of Fateh Movement and the Palestinian Former Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Welcoming the guest, Minister Nalbandian mentioned that Armenia and the Armenian people have the warmest feelings towards the Arab peoples and Palestinian people, with which we are connected with centuries-old friendship, and today Armenia is still developing dynamic relations with the Arab states. “The Armenian people will never forget how thousands of its children who survived the Armenian Genocide found haven in the Arab countries,” said Minister Nalbandian.

Touching upon the Armenian-Palestinian ties, Edward Nalbandian noted that the President of the Republic of Armenia as a head of state, was one of the first leaders who paid an official visit to Ramallah in 2000 and had meetings with the leadership of the Palestinian Authority.

Minister Nalbandian said that Armenia is carefully following the recent developments in the Arab countries, expressing confidence that the fundamental problems in the region would be solved through implementing democratic reforms, and their results would contribute to the establishment of internal solidarity and stability.

In the course of the meeting, the interlocutors touched upon a number of issues of mutual interest, including the current stage and perspectives of the peaceful settlement of the Middle East issue. “Armenia is geographically close to the Middle East region and attaches great importance to the efforts undertaken towards the establishment of lasting peace and stability there. In this regard, we welcome the initiatives that are aimed at a fair and mutually acceptable compromise solution of the existing problems,” underlined Edward Nalbandan.

Dr. Nabeel A. Shaath presented the processes being implemented in the UN General Assembly ahead of scheduled voting on the independence of Palestine in September, this year. Dr. Nabeel A. Shaath also expressed gratitude for the balanced position of Armenia in international organizations regarding to the settlement of the Middle East issue. The Palestinian delegation asked for Armenia’s support in declaring of the Palestinian independence.

Upon the request of the guest, Edward Nalbandian presented the recent developments in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.