On June 22, Foreign Minister of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, who is participating in an informal meeting of Foreign Ministers of Eastern Partnership (EaP) member states in Minsk, had a meeting with Vladimir Makei, Foreign Minister of Belarus.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus once again congratulated Armenian Foreign Minister on his appointment, highlighted the importance of first official contact and expressed confidence that the relations between the two countries will continue to further expand and deepen in the spirit of partnership.

The Ministers touched upon the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries this year, commending the achievements reached during this period. The interlocutors underlined the necessity of fully exploiting the existing potential in bilateral relations, outlining the steps to be taken in that direction.

Foreign Minister of Armenia thanked for arranging the Eastern Partnership meeting of Foreign Ministers in Minsk. He underscored that cooperation in this format comes to complement the partnership relations between Armenia and Belarus, both in the frameworks of the Eurasian Economic cooperation and Collective Security Treaty Organization, as well as in the bilateral format.

Touching upon the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Minister Mnatsakanyan underlined that the environment conducive to peace is of key importance for the success of the negotiation process. In this regard, he emphasized that partner countries should abstain from steps that might endanger that environment, contribute to the arms race in the region, undermine the normal work of the agreed negotiated format.

The interlocutors touched upon a wide range of issues on the Armenian-Belarus agenda, exchanged views on urgent regional and international issues.