On September 16, in the framework of the official visit to Lithuania, Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan met with his counterpart Linas Linkevičius.

Expressing his gratitude for the warm welcome, Minister Mnatsakanyan noted that Lithuania is one of the important partners of Armenia in Europe, and Armenia is determined to continue developing multi-sectoral cooperation. According to Minister Mnatsakanyan, the Armenia-Lithuanian relations are based on the solid foundation of small countries’ solidarity and a strong sense of independence.

Foreign Ministers reiterated their mutual commitment to work towards deepening and enriching bilateral relations. In this context, the parties emphasized political dialogue on different platforms. 

The spheres of IT, e-governance, banking, environmental protection, biotechnology, alternative energy and culture were emphasized as important directions of cooperation. The sides agreed that the two countries have gained great experience in the fields of high technologies, innovations and creative education, and currently, there is a need for a common platform to engage direct actors of certain spheres in order to outline new perspectives of bilateral cooperation and to elaborate initiatives for the exchange of expertise.

Minister Mnatsakanyan briefed his counterpart on the reforms process implemented by the Armenian Government and based on the broad popular mandate, particularly emphasizing the reforms in the judicial system. The Minister specifically highlighted the importance of coordination of support of international and regional partners and the effective use of existing expertise. In this context, the Foreign Minister highly appreciated the readiness of Lithuanian counterparts to support the reform agenda in Armenia.

Touching upon the Armenia-EU relations, the Foreign Ministers exchanged views on deepening cooperation within the framework of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement. With regards to the cooperation with the European Union and the EU countries, the Foreign Minister of Armenia particularly noted encouraging people-to-people contacts and thanked his Lithuanian counterpart for the support. Foreign Ministers also touched upon the Eastern Partnership initiative and the vision of its enhancement.

The interlocutors exchanged detailed views on current international and regional issues.

Minister Mnatsakanyan presented to his counterpart Armenia’s principled position and approaches to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement process.

At the end of the meeting, Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Lithuania held a joint press conference.