Armenian-Serbian negotiations concluded at RA Presidential Palace

With the participation of the two countries official delegations negotiations between President Serzh Sargsyan and President Tomislav Nikolic of the Republic of Serbia having made an official visit to the Republic of Armenia took place today at the RA Presidential Palace. After the negotiations a signing ceremony of documents aimed at promoting and deepening cooperation between the two countries took place. Particularly, the Agreement on Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation between the government of the Republic of Armenia and the government of the Republic of Serbia and the Memorandum of Understanding on Tourism Cooperation between the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Armenia and the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications of the Republic of Serbia were concluded.

Later on, Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Tomislav Nikolic summed up the negotiation results at the joint press statement.

On behalf of President Serzh Sargsyan, an official dinner was held today in honor of Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic having made an official visit to the Republic of Armenia at the Presidential Palace.

In the morning the Serbian President visited Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex, laid a wreath at the Memorial to the Victims of the Armenian Genocide and paid tribute to the memories of the innocent victims.

On his official visit President Nikolic is to hold a meeting with the President of the RA National Assembly Galust Sahakyan after which he will leave for Armavir marz to lay a wreath at the Memorial to seven Serbian pilots coming to the aid of Armenia following the days of the devastating earthquake in 1988 and killed in an air crash at the outskirts of Yerevan. Then he will visit the Mother See of Holy Echmiadzin to hold a meeting with the Catholicos of All Armenians thus concluding his official visit to Armenia.

The official farewell ceremony of President Tomislav Nikolic  took place in the Presidential Palace.

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Statement by President Serzh Sargsyan on the results of the negotiations with Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic

Distinguished Mr. President,
Dear ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great honor for me to host the Serbian President and the delegation headed by him in Yerevan. The first official visit of Mr. Nikolic to Armenia is symbolic as it is taking place on the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

I am pleased to state that in recent years such high-level mutual visits have become a good tradition which is testified by the fact that we are committed to transforming the traditional friendly relations who have stand the test of history into very firm bilateral interstate relations.

Last night I and my Serbian friend enjoyed the Euro 2016 qualifying match between the Armenian and Serbian national teams in a warm atmosphere and this platform, I mean the sports platform will be the only one where we compete. Both I and the Serbian President found it difficult to hide our emotions. Nevertheless, we left the stadium in peace, and I think that the Serbians had petty that they had been able to realize their strength while the Armenians had petty that they had been able to take the chance.

Over these two days I and Mr. Nikolic have thoroughly discussed all the items on our bilateral agenda in an atmosphere of complete mutual understanding. We agreed that it is time to reevaluate the pass we have covered throughout the last 20 years and give a new impulse to our bilateral cooperation in all possible spheres. In this context we attached great importance to establishment of embassies in Yerevan and Belgrade which will greatly stimulate our relations.

We attached great weight to maintenance of the current dynamics of political dialogue, intensification of inter-parliamentary, decentralized-level, cultural ties and people to people contacts, as well as enlargement of mutually beneficial cooperation within the framework of international organizations. In that regard, we continue our discussions on mutual introduction of visa regime on our borders or moreover, on a visa-free regime.

We laid special emphasis on the need of promoting trade and economic cooperation and formation of a corresponding legal and contractual field. Despite its low starting point, we can witness a drastic increase in our trade circulation. I think that the first Armenian-Serbian business forum held in Yerevan at the beginning of this year has also been of great help. Within the framework of the same visit, a tourism agreement and an agreement of cooperation in the economic, scientific and technical spheres were signed.

I presented the latest developments around the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to my colleague. President Nikolic introduced the Serbian approaches and positions on the Kosovo issue. I would like to particularly stress that I place great importance to the fact that in spite of refusing to recognize its status, Serbia conducts direct negotiations with Kosovo. As you know, we too think that the policy of pretending that authorities emerged in the course of conflict situations has no prospects. It is obvious that the alternative to that is chaos.

I reaffirmed Armenia's consistent position on the Kosovo conflict and noted that we value Serbia's balanced approach on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and its support for the efforts made by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries.

Next year Serbia is to chair the OSCE and in this respect, Armenia supports Serbia in that responsible mission and will back Serbia's initiatives aimed at strengthening the organization.

The urgent international issues, including the joint efforts of the international community aimed at putting an end to the terrorist barbarities in Iraq and Syria were also included in our negotiation agenda. We expressed out concern about the violence exercised by extremists against national and religious minorities in the Middle East, as well as about the annihilation of Christian monuments. We touched upon the Ukrainian crisis and the steps being taken to deal with it.

Ladies and gentlemen,

As you know, I have just returned from Minsk where Armenia signed an agreement on joining the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union. We have made that decision to give a new impulse to our economic progress. Free movement of goods, services, capital and labor, availability of cheap power-generating materials and installation of common transport solutions open up new opportunities to increase the competitiveness and effectiveness of our economy.

However, it is important for our colleagues to know that we never contrast that and our dialogue with the European Union. It continues and will continue since we have many common interests, we have common heritage based on which we keep on making democratic reforms our country.

In the context of these relations, our bilateral relations with European countries have an important and unique place and both this visit of the Serbian President and intensive political contacts at all levels are the striking illustration of that.

Mr. President, I once again welcome you to Armenia and I am pleased to pass the floor to you.

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President Tomislav Nikolic thanked President Serzh Sargsyan for his invitation and warm hospitality, as well as for the official and unofficial meetings and discussions held over the two days of his visit. At the outset the Serbian President noted that he totally agrees with the points of view set forth in the statement of the Armenian President and underscored that the Armenian-Serbian friendship has always existed and will continue to exist. President Nikolic mentioned numerous common traits of the Armenian and Serbian peoples and stressed that the two peoples are firmly tied together through the same fate, historical difficulties and misfortunes and the fight for preserving their civilizations. In the contemporary changing world, the Serbian President attached great importance to maintenance of traditions which, according to him, bind the friendly peoples.

The Serbian President placed great importance on trade and economic relations in strengthening the bilateral ties. Nevertheless, he emphasized that Armenians and Serbs have not promoted trade relations for friendship; they are friends, that is exactly why they have to intensify trade relations.

On behalf of his country, President Nikolic expressed support to the Madrid Principles developed in the course of the peaceful negotiation process aimed at the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group and wished Armenia success in realizing and protecting its rights.

Talking about the future of his country, the Serbian President noted that Serbia seeks to become a member of the European Union simultaneously striving to acquire friends all over the world. Tomislav Nikolic underlined that Serbia will not forget its friends after joining the European Union, but it will not leave the European Union due to its friends putting neither side at risk. He noted that Serbia wants to provide better living conditions for its citizens. The current economic crisis in Serbia, according to President Nikolic, is the consequence of Serbia's certain mistakes made in the past when it forgot its old friends pursuing only its own interests. President Nikolic underscored our present interest is friendship.

Besides the mutual establishment of diplomatic missions in Armenia and Serbia, he talked about the opportunity of launching a Belgrade-Yerevan direct flight.

Tomislav Nikolic attached great value to encouragement of reciprocal business contacts and cooperation and urged the governments to work on introduction of a visa-free regime in order to facilitate travel and people to people contacts.

The Serbian President stressed the need for harmonizing the positions of Armenia and Serbia in international organizations. He thanked Armenia for not recognizing the independence of Kosovo and Metohija and for the involvement of Armenian servicemen in international peace-keeping operations in Kosovo. President Nikolic underlined that those soldiers have also protected Serbs and have done their best to maintain peace and stability.

As for the football match between Armenia-Serbia, President Nikolic noted that during the game it was easier for President Serzh Sargsyan to express his emotions than it was for himself, because he was a guest, but according to him, the Serbian experience and the Armenian heart yield the same result. Tomislav Nikolic underscored he was personally very happy for that result because otherwise one of the parties would have been defeated. He noted that the same way neither of the two friendly countries should be defeated in international relations.

Concluding his speech, the Serbian President stressed that despite their small number, what the Armenian and Serbian peoples have to exhibit at museums concerning their civilization, religion and history is more important and valuable. Tomislav Nikolic emphasized that the peoples of the two countries live in their own territory and not in a colonized one.