The meeting in an expanded format between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg took place in the government, Armenian Government press office reports.
The Prime Minister welcomed Mr. Stoltenberg's visit to our country and noted. "Dear Secretary General, I welcome your and your delegation's visit to the Republic of Armenia. I am very happy about this visit because it is obviously a very good opportunity to discuss our broad agenda, which we just did. Of course, there are many familiar people in your delegation who regularly visit the Republic of Armenia, we update them, they update us on current issues and policies. Of course, we are interested in deepening cooperation with NATO, and I hope that the individually tailored program for Armenia will be adopted as soon as possible. You know that now we are in the stage of large-scale reforms, and I hope that this program will be useful for our foreign agenda as well. Once again, welcome."
In turn, Jens Stoltenberg noted. "Thank you for hosting me and my delegation. We highly value cooperation with Armenia. You have participated in various NATO missions and operations for many years, we appreciate your participation in the Kosovo mission. We hope that we can now further deepen and strengthen our cooperation, including through the adoption of the individually tailored program for Armenia. Of course, we support your sovereignty and territorial integrity. We also support your efforts to develop a more independent foreign policy, which we believe is important. I personally admire your leadership and commitment. We welcome your steps aimed at strengthening democratic institutions, the rule of law, and we also welcome the fact that you are delivering humanitarian aid to Ukraine."
Prime Minister Pashinyan and NATO Secretary General discussed the development of Armenia-NATO cooperation, as well as issues of regional importance. The Prime Minister presented to the interlocutor the "Crossroads of Peace" project of the Armenian government.
Jens Stoltenberg emphasized the importance of ensuring peace and stability in the region and emphasized that NATO supports Armenia's sovereignty, territorial integrity and peaceful aspirations of our country.
Next, Nikol Pashinyan and Jens Stoltenberg made statements.
The Prime Minister of Armenia stated in his speech.
"Dear Mr. Secretary General,
Dear Colleagues,
We are glad to host NATO Secretary General Mr. Jens Stoltenberg and his delegation in Armenia. This visit is your first visit to Armenia in the position of the NATO Secretary General. It is a good opportunity to exchange opinions on both Armenia-NATO cooperation and regional and global stability and security issues.
We are interested in continuing to develop the existing political dialogue and expanding the partnership with the Alliance as well as individual member states. We hope that the new format of Armenia-NATO cooperation, the "Individually Tailored Partnership Program", will be approved soon. In light of the developments in our region, it is extremely important for Armenia to strengthen its resilience and develop appropriate defense capabilities.
We also attach great importance to Armenia's participation in peacekeeping operations and consider it an important contribution to ensuring international peace and security. The Armenian peacekeeping unit continues to contribute to the Kosovo (KFOR) mission, and as you know, in July 2023, when the situation in Kosovo was somewhat unstable, Armenia increased the personnel of its peacekeeping unit with an additional 17 soldiers.
Effective dialogue is also carried out at the parliamentary level, given that our parliamentarians are involved in NATO Parliamentary Assembly meetings and Rose-Roth seminars.
Dear Colleagues,
Armenia continues to adhere to the policy of regionalization. Our special relations with Georgia and the Islamic Republic of Iran are extremely important and none of our cooperation can be directed against our own region.
I presented to Mr. Stoltenberg the vision and approaches of the Government of the Republic of Armenia to establishing stability and peace in the South Caucasus. I reaffirm my repeatedly voiced willingness to normalize relations with Azerbaijan based on the 3 principles agreed at the highest level, namely, recognition of each other's territorial integrity based on the Alma-Ata Declaration, the delimitation of the Armenia-Azerbaijan interstate border according to the Alma-Ata Declaration for restoring the border that existed at the time of the collapse of the USSR in 1991 between the two republics, as well as the unblocking of regional infrastructures, respecting the sovereignty and jurisdiction of the countries they pass through, based on the principles of equality and reciprocity. Regarding the latter, I have also presented the "Crossroads of Peace" project, which summarizes our ideas on the issue.
We expect the firm support of the international community, including NATO, for the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan based on known and mutually agreed upon principles, as well as the unequivocal rejection of the policy of coercion and threats.
I also presented to the General Secretary the proposals for a simultaneous withdrawal of troops from the Armenia-Azerbaijan border of 1991, mutual arms control, and the signing of a non-aggression pact, which have not received a positive response from official Baku to date.
We are also committed to the agenda of normalizing relations with Turkey. We believe that the implementation of the agreements reached with Turkey in 2022, which were subsequently reaffirmed, may have a positive impact on the establishment of stability in the South Caucasus region.
During the conversation with the General Secretary, we also had the opportunity to discuss the reform agenda of the Armed Forces of Armenia. I emphasized that this process is not directed against any state and is aimed at increasing the defense capabilities of the Armed Forces of Armenia in order to ensure the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia.
Dear Secretary General,
In conclusion, let me thank you for the productive discussions.
Once again, I welcome your visit to the Republic of Armenia and I am pleased to give the floor to you."
In his turn, the Secretary General of NATO said:
"Thank you very much, Prime Minister Pashinyan, dear Nikol.
I am very glad to see you again and I am happy to be in Yerevan with you. This is my first official visit to Yerevan in the position of NATO Secretary General.
First of all, I highly appreciate your personal leadership, the fact that you clearly speak in favor of peace, you are unequivocally committed to democratic values.
Armenia has long been a NATO partner, and I welcome and appreciate your contribution to NATO missions and operations. For almost 20 years, Armenia has been one of the most important partners of the NATO peacekeeping mission, helping to guarantee a safe and secure environment for all communities living in Kosovo. And I welcome the increased participation of your servicemen in recent years.
During today's meeting, we discussed the importance of stability in the South Caucasus. This is important for Euro-Atlantic security as we face an increasingly dangerous world.
Today, Armenia and Azerbaijan have a chance to achieve lasting peace after years of conflict. This is why I call on the two countries to reach an agreement that will pave the way for normalization of relations and lasting peace for your peoples. NATO supports Armenia's sovereignty, territorial integrity and your peaceful aspirations.
Russia's war in Ukraine is a sobering reminder that we cannot help but value peace. I applaud your solidarity with Ukraine and call on all partners to do everything in their power to prevent Putin from winning his war of aggression. The situation on the battlefield remains critical, but this is precisely why our support should be increased, not decreased. If Putin succeeds in Ukraine, there is a real risk that his aggression will not stop there, and that other authoritarian entities will be inspired by it.
Today we also talked about the progress of Armenia's domestic reforms. I welcomed the fact that you are working to strengthen democratic control over your armed forces, including through your participation in NATO's Building Integrity Programme. You have also shown real commitment to fighting corruption, strengthening your democratic institutions and upholding the rule of law.
Dear Prime Minister,
Thank you again for hosting me warmly and for your wefforts to build a brighter future for your country and region. I sincerely hope that we will continue to strengthen our partnership, working together for greater peace, stability and prosperity in the South Caucasus and beyond. Thank you."
