“Greece implements its foreign policy based on the principles of International Law, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said on Wednesday from Yerevan, during joint statements with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan.
“As an advocate of the peaceful resolution of disputes, Greece openly stands against the use of violence, in favour of dialogue and consultation,” he said, and recalled that Greece welcomed the Joint Declaration of Armenia-Azerbaijan, which announced the mutual release of prisoners and confidence-building measures between the two parties.
Greece, he noted, is closely monitoring developments in the Caucasus region. “From the first moment, we expressed our solidarity with the people of Armenia and sent humanitarian aid for the needs arising from the mass, violent, exodus of population from Nagorno-Karabakh.”
“We support the resumption of talks between Yerevan and Baku to consolidate security and stability in the South Caucasus,” he underlined, adding: “Achieving lasting, just and sustainable regional peace and building good-neighbourly relations must be the goal of both sides. The ‘Crossroads of Peace’ [transport connections] project presented by Armenia, which we consider to be implementable and inclusive, is in this direction.”
Furthermore, he stressed the importance that Greece attaches “to the need to address the humanitarian needs of the displaced population. We look forward to increasing bilateral trade in all sectors and strengthening our relations.”
Gerapetritis noted that his visit confirms the excellent level of bilateral relations between Greece and Armenia and the will to further deepen their cooperation.
“Greece and Armenia are linked by traditional historical ties of friendship that have been forged in the depths of centuries,” he stated.
Mirzoyan: Greece, Armenia have a rich bilateral agenda
Armenia and Greece have a rich bilateral agenda in all fields, said Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, who underlined the importance of Gerapetritis’ visit to Armenia at this time.
“The friendship between the Armenian and Greek people arises from the depths of centuries and millennia, the Armenian and Greek states have worked closely together at various times throughout history,” Mirzoyan noted.
The Armenian foreign minister thanked his Greek counterpart for supporting the development of Armenia-EU relations.
“We are truly ready to develop these ties on the basis of the values we share in Armenia, Greece and the EU. I am talking about democracy, human rights and other values. I expect future support from Greece in this process,” he said.
He added that Armenia and Greece have built strong, friendly ties over the past 30 years. “Our agenda is very rich in all areas. Today’s meeting is a very good opportunity to deal with this agenda, strengthen our relations and promote our intensive political dialogue, covering many topics, from the economy, security and defence to culture.”
Moreover, he said that, during the meeting, the two men outlined the actions and the roadmap for the current year regarding mutual high-level visits and events in various fields.
“The meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission scheduled to take place in the first half of the year can play a very big role,” the Armenian foreign minister said.
SOURCE; ANA-MPA
