On January 18, Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to Romania Sergey Minasyan presented his credentials to the President of Romania Klaus Iohannis.

The solemn ceremony at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace was followed by a private meeting, during which President Iohannis congratulated the newly-appointed Armenian Ambassador wishing him a productive diplomatic mission. The President expressed hope that Ambassador Minasyan with his activities will substantially contribute to the deepening of bilateral relations of the two countries and further strengthening of ties between the two friendly peoples.

Expressing gratitude to President Iohannis for warm wishes, Ambassador Minasyan stressed that during his tenure he would make every effort to give a new impetus to the relations between the two countries and to further strengthen the centuries-old friendship of the two peoples.

Ambassador Minasyan noted that during the past years considerable success has been achieved in political, cultural and educational cooperation areas. The sides agreed that in this context it is necessary to further deepen the economic relations that have not yet reached the desired level.

In the course of the meeting the Armenian Ambassador touched upon the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) signed between Armenia and the EU on November 24, 2017, noting that it creates a favorable political environment for further development of multilateral and bilateral cooperation.

Referring to the XVII Summit of La Francophonie, to be held in Yerevan on October 11-12, 2018, Ambassador Minasyan emphasized that the participation of President Iohannis could be a strong impetus for the deepening of the Armenian-Romanian cooperation in multilateral and bilateral formats, especially taking into account the important role of Romania as the regional center of La Francophonie.

The Ambassador also noted the importance of resolving the Nagorno Karabakh conflict through negotiations within the framework of mediation mission of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs, highlighting that in recent years Romania's stance on the conflict has been balanced and that the Armenian side expects the continuity of that approach, in line with the common approach with regards this issue reflected in the preamble of the Armenia-EU CEPA.

Ambassador Minasyan noted that Armenia and Romania can effectively cooperate within the framework of European structures in such areas as emergency situations and crisis management, research and education.

The Armenian Ambassador thanked President Iohannis for the Romanian policy towards protecting the rights of ethnic and religious minorities, noting that for many Armenians, who inhabited this area centuries ago and for those who survived the Armenian Genocide of 1915, Romania became a second homeland. Romania was the first country to offer on the state level asylum to the survivors of the Genocide.