On February 7, Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan had a meeting with German Bundestag’s senior members of the standing committees on foreign affairs, defence, human rights and humanitarian aid, and EU issues. Members of the Germany-South Caucasus Friendship Group also participated in the meeting.

The event was organized jointly with the German-Armenian Forum, whose president, Bundestag’s member Till Mansmann, delivered a welcome speech.

Minister Mirzoyan commended the effective cooperation established between Armenia and Germany in various spheres. The Foreign Minister stressed the role of parliamentary diplomacy, noting that active Armenian-German inter-parliamentary ties contribute both to the expansion of the bilateral agenda and to the raising of important regional issues.

During the in-depth discussion, views were exchanged on the democratic reforms being implemented in Armenia, within the context of which Minister Mirzoyan stressed the importance of the support provided by Germany and the European Union for the development and implementation of reforms in Armenia.

The participants also discussed challenges undermining security and stability in the South Caucasus. Ararat Mirzoyan briefed on the details of the humanitarian crisis unfolded in Nagorno-Karabakh resulting from the Lachin corridor blockade. In this regard, the Armenian side highly appreciated the clear messages of the Bundestag members, including the unblocking of the Lachin corridor and the restoration of free movement.

Minister Mirzoyan also briefed the participants of the meeting on the recent developments in the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan, stressing that the warmongering rhetoric, maximalist ambitions and aggressive actions of Azerbaijan undermine Armenia’s efforts to establish stability and peace in the South Caucasus.

The parties also discussed a number of issues related to the further expansion of the Armenia-EU partnership.