Presidents Vahagn Khachaturyan and Katalin Novák had a private conversation at the Presidential Residence of Hungary, followed by a plenary session of the delegations in an expanded format.
Welcoming the President of Armenia, the President of Hungary expressed hope that this visit will open a new page in the Armenian-Hungarian relations.
"Mr. President, we had many informal meetings, but this is our first official meeting, which, I think, will open a new period in relations between Armenia and Hungary, it is also symbolic that your visit almost coincides with our country's assumption of the presidency of the European Union," Katalin Novák said.
Sharing his gratitude for the warm hospitality, President Vahagn Khachaturyan noted: "Of course, we had meetings and contacts within the framework of various events, but I also attach importance to such receptions and official mutual visits from the point of view of further development of bilateral relations between our countries.
Such meetings are also important in terms of introducing ourselves to our communities and citizens. I would like to emphasize that we are ready to deepen our cooperation, and one of the goals of my visit is also to clarify the directions and possible programs of this interaction."
During the meeting, President Vahagn Khachaturyan, on behalf of Hungarian President Katalin Novák, addressed his words of gratitude to all Hungarian authorities for their special attitude towards the Armenian Community in Hungary. The President emphasized that the local Armenian Community has its own unique role in the relations between the two countries.
During the conversation, the sides touched upon the general situation and developments in the South Caucasus region. Both sides stressed the need for the contribution of efforts aimed at establishing a stable and lasting peace. In this context, President Vahagn Khachaturyan presented to his counterpart the key points of the "Crossroads of Peace" program put forward by the Armenian government and stressed that Armenia's principled and unequivocal position is to establish final peace and good-neighborly relations with its neighbors. The President of the Republic noted that Armenia has laid the philosophy of peace at the core of its position.
During the meeting, the interlocutors also touched upon the possibilities and prospects for the full realization and development of the existing potential of cooperation between the economies of the two countries.
The importance of cultural, educational, Christian value communities and ties between Armenia and Hungary was noted. The sides pointed out with satisfaction that there is a mutually beneficial exchange of experience and cooperation between various higher educational institutions of the two countries through the implementation of various educational programs.
At the end of the meeting, the Presidents confirmed their readiness to continue taking steps for further deepening and developing cooperation both on a bilateral basis and on European Union and other international platforms.
