On October 22 with the arrival in Mexico, Minister Nalbandian started his visit to Latin American countries.

In Mexico City, Edward Nalbandian had a meeting with his Mexican counterpart, the Mexican Secretary of Foreign Relations Patricia Espinosa.

Welcoming the Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Mexican Secretary of Foreign Relations mentioned that her country sees Armenia as a friendly country and intends to expand the interaction with it. Madam Espinosa added that the visit of the Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs was a good opportunity to discuss and reach agreements on the ways to that direction.

Congratulating for the invitation to visit Mexico, Minister Nalbandian expressed confidence that his visit and the agreements reached during the visit would create a solid basis for the promotion of cooperation in various spheres.

The Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Mexico reaffirmed their commitment expressed during the meeting in New York at the end of September, to undertake efficient steps for enhancing the existing bilateral cooperation to a qualitatively new level. In this regards, an agreement to expand the legal framework was reached. The sides shared an opinion that the opening of an Armenian Embassy to Mexico would contribute to the further strengthening and deepening of relations between the two countries.

Edward Nalbandian and Madam Espinosa exchanged views on the steps to be undertaken towards the intensification of economic cooperation and cultural exchanges.

The Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed his concerns over the resolutions adopted during the previous year’s sitting of the Chamber of the Mexican Parliament which distort the facts about Nagorno-Karabakh, emphasizing that those resolutions flagrantly contradict to the position of the international community repeatedly stated by the leaders of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries, they harm the settlement process and regional security, as well as negatively affect the Armenian-Mexican relations.

The Armenian Minister stressed also that he shared the opinion of Mexican human rights defenders that the unveiling of a so-called Khojaly monument in Mexico City is insulting the memory of victims of the genocides. Edward Nalbandian agreed with the reactions voiced not only in Mexico, but also in the world on the opening of the statue of Azerbaijan’s former president in the Mexican capital.

In this regard, Minister Patricia Espinosa gave explanations and clarifications, mentioning that all those were condemned by the Mexican public opinion.

Minister Nalbandian presented his Mexican counterpart the negotiations over the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, stressing that in spite of the efforts exerted by Armenia and the Minks Group Co-Chairs on behalf of the international community towards the peaceful settlement of the issue, Azeri leadership, by its destructive and provocative steps contrary to elementary logic is doing everything to bring the negotiations to a deadlock and failure. In this context, Patricia Espinosa reaffirmed the full support of the Mexican Government to the proposals of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue exclusively through peaceful means.

The agenda of the talks included issues related to the interaction in the international organizations, as well.

After the meeting, Edward Nalbandian and Patricia Espinosa signed a Memorandum on holding political consultations between the MFAs.

On the same day, having a meeting with the members of the Mexican Senate, Edward Nalbandian mentioned about the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and added that there is still a lot to be done for the development of those relations. According to Minister Nalbandian there were steps which harmed those relations.

“By talking about the steps that harmed the relations I mean the resolutions adopted by the last sitting of the Chamber of the Parliament and Senate of Mexico on Nagorno-Karabakh, which are contrary to the positions of the international community and stimulate Azerbaijan’s destructive behavior and aggressive activities,” told Minister Nalbandian.

On their part, the senators presented the official vision of the Senate and underlined that the only way of the settlement of the issue is the negotiations, and they urge all parties of the conflict to take steps for reaching peace as soon as possible, which is in the interest of the region and people living there.

In the Mexico City Edward Nalbandian gave a lecture on Armenia’s foreign policy at the Institute of Diplomatic Studies of the Mexican Department of Foreign Relations named after Matías Romero. Ambassadors accredited in Mexico, high-ranking officials of the Foreign Ministry, experts, journalists, professors and students attended the lecture. After the meeting, Edward Nalbandian answered numerous questions of the attendees.

Minister Nalbandian mentioned, “Having rich experience in corruption, Baku is trying to bring that experience to inter-state level, using it as a tool to lay its own responsibility for distorted perceptions on the others. Unfortunately, in some countries some politicians fall into the trap of Azerbaijan, are showing infirmness and are incapable to withstand against the corruption temptations coming from Baku. Based on its domestic experience, Azerbaijan created an impression that everything is bought and sold on interstate relations, too”.

Reacting to the complains voiced out by the attendees on the unveiling of a statute of Azerbaijan’s former president Heydar Aliyev and a so-called Khojaly monument in Mexico City, the Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs underlined, “The reactions in both Mexico and world are unanimous, and experts on human rights touched upon that, as did leading international media outlets as the CNN, BBC, Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France Press, Time, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post. This list can still go on, and I can say that I agree with the presented opinions.

The banner of the Azeri former president’s monument is propagating that the former head of the KGB is a bright example of international peace, who led Azerbaijan to democracy. To conform the situation to the truth it would be better to add that by various human rights organizations that country was listed among the most corrupt and anti-democratic countries and that country has become a world champion of provoking war and threatening to use force.”

The Armenian Minster of Foreign Affairs had a press conference for the leading Mexican media outlets, as well.