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On December 13, the RA NA Vice President Hakob Arshakyan received the Director for Eastern Europe, Southern Caucasus and Central Asia Countries of FRG Federal Foreign Office Matthias Lüttenberg and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Germany to Armenia Viktor Richter.

The Chair of the NA Standing Committee on European Integration, the Member of the NA Armenia-Germany Friendship Group Arman Yeghoyan and the Member of the Friendship Group Hripsime Hunanyan attended the meeting.

Congratulating the Ambassador on assuming the office, Hakob Arshakyan wished Viktor Richter fruitful activity and expressed conviction that the latter would promote the boosting of the Armenian-German ties.

The NA Vice President has underlined that the friendly relations between the two states and parliaments dynamically develop, and in this context has stressed the role of the mutual visits of bilateral high ranking officials.

“Armenia welcomes the efforts of the German side aimed at strengthening peace and stability in the region, the formation of the atmosphere of mutual trust, as well as boosting the regional cooperation,” Hakob Arshakyan said. With regards to this, he highly appreciated the discussions held in the Bundestag on the war unleashed by Azerbaijan against Nagorno Karabakh on October 29 of the previous year.

The RA NA Vice President underlined the necessity of the urgent return of Armenian prisoners of war and other persons kept in Azerbaijan, in this respect expecting the active role of Germany as OSCE Minsk Group participating state and one of the EU leading states. He emphasized the special discussion held in March in the Bundestag on the above-mentioned issue.

In his turn Matthias Lüttenberg emphasized the development of the Armenian-German ties and expressed conviction that effective cooperation would be formed with the newly elected Bundestag. Regarding this the guest underscored the practical participation of the Friendship Groups. In the context of deepening the cooperation with the Eastern Partnership member states Matthias Lüttenberg stressed the Eastern Partnership Summit to be held in the near future.

The guest approved the support of Germany for the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship. He expressed hope that in the near future the visit of three Chairs would also be possible.

Arman Yeghoyan touched upon the cooperation within the Eastern Partnership framework, in the context of Armenia-European Union cooperation, highlighting the EU support to our country under the principle ‘more for more.’ According to him, differentiated approach should be shown: the Republic of Armenia as a democratic country, registers progress, which should be as a basis that in the Eastern Partnership format our country would be of bigger importance. Arman Yeghoyan emphasized the repatriation of prisoners of war and other held persons. He considered inadmissible the invasion of the Azerbaijani armed forces into the RA sovereign territory.

Hripsime Hunanyan raised the issue of deepening of cooperation of the two countries especially in the scientific-educational, cultural and health spheres, attached importance to the exchange of experience and the implementation of the joint programmes.

As an example of cooperation the creation of TUMO Centre of Berlin was also noted.

The perspectives of expansion of the ties in a number of other spheres between the two countries were discussed.