Updates
Foreign visits
21
06, 2010
Official visit of President Serzh Sargsyan to Germany
On June 21, President Serzh Sargsyan arrived to the Federal Republic of Germany on official visit. In the evening he met with the representatives of the Armenian-German community.
Serzh Sargsyan expressed gratitude for their continuous assistance to Armenia and Artsakh, significant contribution to the process of international recognition of the Armenian Genocide and preservation of the Armenian identity. The President of Armenia said that the Motherland has great responsibilities for the subsistence of Spyurk, “We must double our efforts on that direction,” noted Serzh Sargsyan.
The spiritual leader of the community Garegin Archbishop Bekchian and representatives of the Armenian-German community welcomed the President’s visit to Germany, assessing it as a good opportunity to discuss issues related to the preservation of the Armenian identity and learn from the leader of the country about the developments regarding the most pressing issues. Serzh Sargsyan answered the questions raised by the participants of the meeting related to the NK issue, the attempt to normalize the Armenian-Turkish relations, and the process of international recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
The President of Armenia said in particular, “Currently, we are witnessing an enormous wave of intolerance in the Azerbaijani society toward Armenia and everything Armenian. The Azeri media is digging into the biographical data of the European, Russian and American officials, trying to find out if their predecessors were of Armenian origin. The new formulas of anti-Armenian propaganda, which blame Armenians for everything, are being devised. Initially, Armenians were not taking all that stuff seriously, believing that lies have short legs. However, at present these lies have grown to gigantic proportions and are endowed with millions of dollars. Appropriate retaliation against these anti-Armenian and anti-human revulsions are among the main challenges facing the Armenian nation and the Armenian communities of Europe in particular,” the President of Armenia said.
On the first day of his visit to Germany, Serzh Sargsyan gave an interview to the German Deutsche Welle TV channel.
Today, President Sargsyan will meet with the political leadership of Germany and representatives of business circles. The President of Armenia will also be hosted at the Conrad Adenauer Foundation.
***
On June 22, President Serzh Sargsyan, who has arrived to Germany on official visit, met with Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The parties discussed issues related to the development of bilateral relations and utilization of the opportunities for cooperation in multilateral formats.
The President of Armenia noted that high-level bilateral meetings move political dialogue forward and provide opportunity to deepen cooperation with Germany in all areas. Serzh Sargsyan said that our country views the Armenian-German cooperation as an important component of the Eurointegration process.
Serzh Sargsyan and Angela Merkel spoke also about the enhancement of the economic and trade relations, noting that the existence in Armenia of nearly 80 enterprises with German capital creates a good base for deepening cooperation in the investment area.
The parties spoke also about the financial and technical assistance provided by Germany to Armenia. President Sargsyan said that the volume of the assistance programs make Germany Armenia’s second largest donor state. He added that these programs are very important for the implementation of the reforms in different areas of Armenia’s social and economic life.
President Sargsyan and Chancellor Merkel discussed also issues pertinent to the situation in the South Caucasus region. Serzh Sargsyan hailed German’s balanced policy vis-à-vis the region. Speaking about the NK issue, the President of Armenia expressed concerned with the fact that Azerbaijan has no scruples to voice its unconcealed ambitions to solve the issue through the military means, jeopardizing not only the Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations but the regional stability at large. Speaking about the Armenian-Turkish relations, President Sargsyan expressed regret that because of Turkey’s desire to use the process for other purposes and divergence from the agreed principles of negotiations, the efforts by Armenia and international community aimed at the normalization of bilateral relations and opening of the last closed border of Europe were wasted.
The parties stressed the importance of moving the process of the Armenian-Turkish normalization forward without preconditions. With regard to the NK conflict they stressed the necessity of achieving a peaceful resolution through the peaceful negotiations conducted in the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group.
After the meeting, President Sargsyan and Chancellor Merkel gave a short press-conference.
***
On June 22, President Serzh Sargsyan, who is in Germany on official visit, met with Chancellor Angela Merkel. Same day, President Sargsyan met with the President of Bundesrat, the Acting President of the Federative Republic of Germany Jens Böhrnsen.
At the meeting discussed were issues pertinent to the expansion of the Armenian-German relations in bilateral as well as multilateral formats. The two sides noted that relations between Armenia and Germany develop in the atmosphere of mutual understanding and friendship and the forthcoming signing of interstate agreements would open excellent prospects for the deepening of the bilateral relations.
From the viewpoint of strengthening ties between the two nations, the Presidents stressed the importance of the implementation of joint program in the areas of science and culture. They also discussed possibilities of cooperation in the areas of high technologies, tourism, energy, mining and infrastructure development.
Next, the President of Armenia will meet with the President of Bundestag Norbert Lammert.
***
On the second day of his official visit to Germany, President Sargsyan concluded his meetings with the German political leadership meeting with the President of Bundestag Norbert Lammert.
At the meeting discussed were issues related to the development of the Armenian-German interparliamentary relations. The parties concurred that parliamentary diplomacy, as an important mechanism for advancing the political dialogue, should be fully employed for the benefit of the two nations.
President Sargsyan noted that Bundestag has always displayed interest in the South Caucasus region which is proved by the frequent visits of the German parliamentary delegations to Armenia and other countries of the region. He said that Armenia is interested in deepening the interparliamentary cooperation in multilateral format too, particularly in the framework of the European and Euroatlantic parliamentary structures.
The two sides expressed hope that cooperation between the newly created Caucasus friendship group and the Armenian Parliament would be efficient and would carry on with the established traditions.
President Sargsyan and Norbert Lammert spoke also about the processes of Eurointegration of the South Caucasus states and Armenian-Turkish relations. The President of Bundestag stressed the importance of the mentioned countries’ expressed wish to cooperate closely with the European Union. As for Turkey, which is aspiring to join the EU, Norbert Lammbert said that in order to become a member of the European Union, Turkey must accept the European standards.
***
On June 22, President Serzh Sargsyan wrapped up his official visit to Germany at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, where he participated at the “Security and Development in the South Caucasus: Armenia’s role” session and working dinner with the leadership of the East Committee of German Economy and representatives of business circles.
At the Adenauer Foundation President Sargsyan delivered a speech, answered questions from the audience and participated at the reception in honor of the President of Armenia.
Along with other activities, the Adenauer Foundation serves as a reputable podium for the discussions over social and political issues of international significance. At the Foundation the world leaders, representatives of public and political elite, as well as prominent experts present their views.
On June 23, the delegation headed by Serzh Sargsyan will return to Yerevan.
Serzh Sargsyan expressed gratitude for their continuous assistance to Armenia and Artsakh, significant contribution to the process of international recognition of the Armenian Genocide and preservation of the Armenian identity. The President of Armenia said that the Motherland has great responsibilities for the subsistence of Spyurk, “We must double our efforts on that direction,” noted Serzh Sargsyan.
The spiritual leader of the community Garegin Archbishop Bekchian and representatives of the Armenian-German community welcomed the President’s visit to Germany, assessing it as a good opportunity to discuss issues related to the preservation of the Armenian identity and learn from the leader of the country about the developments regarding the most pressing issues. Serzh Sargsyan answered the questions raised by the participants of the meeting related to the NK issue, the attempt to normalize the Armenian-Turkish relations, and the process of international recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
The President of Armenia said in particular, “Currently, we are witnessing an enormous wave of intolerance in the Azerbaijani society toward Armenia and everything Armenian. The Azeri media is digging into the biographical data of the European, Russian and American officials, trying to find out if their predecessors were of Armenian origin. The new formulas of anti-Armenian propaganda, which blame Armenians for everything, are being devised. Initially, Armenians were not taking all that stuff seriously, believing that lies have short legs. However, at present these lies have grown to gigantic proportions and are endowed with millions of dollars. Appropriate retaliation against these anti-Armenian and anti-human revulsions are among the main challenges facing the Armenian nation and the Armenian communities of Europe in particular,” the President of Armenia said.
On the first day of his visit to Germany, Serzh Sargsyan gave an interview to the German Deutsche Welle TV channel.
Today, President Sargsyan will meet with the political leadership of Germany and representatives of business circles. The President of Armenia will also be hosted at the Conrad Adenauer Foundation.
***
On June 22, President Serzh Sargsyan, who has arrived to Germany on official visit, met with Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The parties discussed issues related to the development of bilateral relations and utilization of the opportunities for cooperation in multilateral formats.
The President of Armenia noted that high-level bilateral meetings move political dialogue forward and provide opportunity to deepen cooperation with Germany in all areas. Serzh Sargsyan said that our country views the Armenian-German cooperation as an important component of the Eurointegration process.
Serzh Sargsyan and Angela Merkel spoke also about the enhancement of the economic and trade relations, noting that the existence in Armenia of nearly 80 enterprises with German capital creates a good base for deepening cooperation in the investment area.
The parties spoke also about the financial and technical assistance provided by Germany to Armenia. President Sargsyan said that the volume of the assistance programs make Germany Armenia’s second largest donor state. He added that these programs are very important for the implementation of the reforms in different areas of Armenia’s social and economic life.
President Sargsyan and Chancellor Merkel discussed also issues pertinent to the situation in the South Caucasus region. Serzh Sargsyan hailed German’s balanced policy vis-à-vis the region. Speaking about the NK issue, the President of Armenia expressed concerned with the fact that Azerbaijan has no scruples to voice its unconcealed ambitions to solve the issue through the military means, jeopardizing not only the Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations but the regional stability at large. Speaking about the Armenian-Turkish relations, President Sargsyan expressed regret that because of Turkey’s desire to use the process for other purposes and divergence from the agreed principles of negotiations, the efforts by Armenia and international community aimed at the normalization of bilateral relations and opening of the last closed border of Europe were wasted.
The parties stressed the importance of moving the process of the Armenian-Turkish normalization forward without preconditions. With regard to the NK conflict they stressed the necessity of achieving a peaceful resolution through the peaceful negotiations conducted in the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group.
After the meeting, President Sargsyan and Chancellor Merkel gave a short press-conference.
***
On June 22, President Serzh Sargsyan, who is in Germany on official visit, met with Chancellor Angela Merkel. Same day, President Sargsyan met with the President of Bundesrat, the Acting President of the Federative Republic of Germany Jens Böhrnsen.
At the meeting discussed were issues pertinent to the expansion of the Armenian-German relations in bilateral as well as multilateral formats. The two sides noted that relations between Armenia and Germany develop in the atmosphere of mutual understanding and friendship and the forthcoming signing of interstate agreements would open excellent prospects for the deepening of the bilateral relations.
From the viewpoint of strengthening ties between the two nations, the Presidents stressed the importance of the implementation of joint program in the areas of science and culture. They also discussed possibilities of cooperation in the areas of high technologies, tourism, energy, mining and infrastructure development.
Next, the President of Armenia will meet with the President of Bundestag Norbert Lammert.
***
On the second day of his official visit to Germany, President Sargsyan concluded his meetings with the German political leadership meeting with the President of Bundestag Norbert Lammert.
At the meeting discussed were issues related to the development of the Armenian-German interparliamentary relations. The parties concurred that parliamentary diplomacy, as an important mechanism for advancing the political dialogue, should be fully employed for the benefit of the two nations.
President Sargsyan noted that Bundestag has always displayed interest in the South Caucasus region which is proved by the frequent visits of the German parliamentary delegations to Armenia and other countries of the region. He said that Armenia is interested in deepening the interparliamentary cooperation in multilateral format too, particularly in the framework of the European and Euroatlantic parliamentary structures.
The two sides expressed hope that cooperation between the newly created Caucasus friendship group and the Armenian Parliament would be efficient and would carry on with the established traditions.
President Sargsyan and Norbert Lammert spoke also about the processes of Eurointegration of the South Caucasus states and Armenian-Turkish relations. The President of Bundestag stressed the importance of the mentioned countries’ expressed wish to cooperate closely with the European Union. As for Turkey, which is aspiring to join the EU, Norbert Lammbert said that in order to become a member of the European Union, Turkey must accept the European standards.
***
On June 22, President Serzh Sargsyan wrapped up his official visit to Germany at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, where he participated at the “Security and Development in the South Caucasus: Armenia’s role” session and working dinner with the leadership of the East Committee of German Economy and representatives of business circles.
At the Adenauer Foundation President Sargsyan delivered a speech, answered questions from the audience and participated at the reception in honor of the President of Armenia.
Along with other activities, the Adenauer Foundation serves as a reputable podium for the discussions over social and political issues of international significance. At the Foundation the world leaders, representatives of public and political elite, as well as prominent experts present their views.
On June 23, the delegation headed by Serzh Sargsyan will return to Yerevan.