Consultations with Czech Republic

On December 14, political consultations were held in Yerevan between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Armenia and the Czech Republic. The delegations were headed by Deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs Paruyr Havhannisyan and Jan Marian, the Press Office of the Armenian Foreign Ministry reported.

The parties commended the high level of political dialogue and the importance of its continuity. A wide range of issues related to the Armenian-Czech bilateral agenda was discussed. Touching upon the prospects of economic cooperation, the sides emphasized the Armenian-Czech intergovernmental commission meeting held this May and expressed readiness to undertake steps towards expanding economic ties. The cooperation in cultural, educational, and scientific spheres was also discussed.

The parties touched upon the Armenia-EU comprehensive partnership agenda issues, discussed the possibilities of mutual support within the international organizations, and underlined the importance of holding regular political consultations. Views were exchanged on several issues of regional and international agenda.

Deputy Minister Hovhannisyan briefed his counterpart on the Crossroads of Peace project elaborated by the Government of the Republic of Armenia and the latest developments in the process of normalizing relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The joint statement of December 7 made by the office of the Prime Minister of Armenia and the Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan, as well as the importance of further efficient steps in that direction, were touched upon. 

"Referring to the large-scale military attack carried out by Azerbaijan against the people of Nagorno Karabakh in September, and the resulting ethnic cleansing of Nagorno Karabakh, the Deputy Minister highlighted the importance of addressing the needs and rights of the Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians forcibly displaced to Armenia and presented the steps taken in that direction," the report noted.

Consultations with Botswana

On December 14, Ararat Mirzoyan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, had a meeting with Lemogang Kwape, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Botswana, who was in Yerevan to participate in the Ministerial Meeting of Landlocked Developing Countries.

On the sidelines of the meeting, the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Botswana signed a joint statement on establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries.

During the official signing ceremony, Ararat Mirzoyan stated: "I would like to congratulate the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Botswana on this important occasion. Indeed, we are opening a new chapter by formally establishing our diplomatic relations. We are hopeful that with joint efforts and based on shared values, we will develop our relations in different fields ranging from agriculture to science and education and will actively cooperate on international platforms. Congratulations again."

Foreign Minister of Botswana Lemogang Kwape stated: "Most importantly, we share values of our democracy; we also share values of development, and today's meeting that we just came in from was a testament to that. As we have signed the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries, I look forward to holding hands as brothers and sisters in mutually developing our countries. We are both landlocked, and we are both small states by economy and otherwise. We have about the same population. So, I think this puts us in a good state to partner and have a true partnership".

At the meeting, the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Botswana discussed, particularly, the possibilities of strengthening ties in economy, high technologies, agriculture, education, and culture, emphasizing the formation of the future legal framework in this context.

Regional issues were also at the center of the attention of the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Botswana. The interlocutors touched upon projects aimed at developing transport and economic ties, including the "Crossroads of Peace" concept developed by the Government of the Republic of Armenia.