On October 18, acting Foreign Minister of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan received Thomas Mayr-Harting, the Managing Director for Europe and Central Asia at the European External Action Service.

Welcoming the guest, Minister Mnatsakanyan noted that Armenia greatly values the established close partnership cooperation with the EU, underlining that Armenia is committed to taking practical steps towards further strengthening it.

Referring to the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement as the new legal framework for relations with the EU and its member states, Minister Mnatsakanyan noted that it is also an important tool for boosting the ongoing reforms in Armenia. Minister Mnatsakanyan underscored that the main priority of the Armenian authorities is to mobilize government resources for effective and practical implementation of the CEPA. Both sides emphasized in this regard the importance of the activities of the interagency commission coordinating the work aimed at ensuring the implementation of the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement and the Armenia-EU Partnership Priorities document.

The head of the Foreign Ministry briefed his interlocutor on the ongoing internal political developments in Armenia and the course of reforms aimed at fighting corruption, strengthening the rule of law, and ensuring equal opportunities in the economic and social sphere. In the context of holding snap parliamentary elections, the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs reiterated the commitment of the Armenian authorities to ensuring a free and fair electoral process, highlighting, at the same time, the importance of the support of international partners and, in particular, the European Union in this regard.

The interlocutors also focused on the prospects of cooperation in the sphere of innovation, information technologies and creative education.

The acting Foreign Minister of Armenia and Thomas Mayr-Harting exchanged views on urgent international and regional issues, the situation in Syria and recent developments with regards Iran's nuclear programme.

Zohrab Mnatsakanyan presented to Thomas Mayr-Harting the position and priorities of the Armenian side in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement process. Both sides underscored the exclusively peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the format of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairmanship.