On May 6, within the framework of the official visit to Hungary, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan had a meeting with Zsolt Semjén, the Deputy Prime Minister of Hungary.
The interlocutors exchanged views on the possibilities of developing the bilateral agenda after the diplomatic relations have been restored, and on regional issues.
The sides noted that the official visit of Ararat Mirzoyan, a visit at the level of the Minister of Foreign Affairs takes place after a fifteen-year break, expressing hope that the recent dynamics and high-level mutual visits will give a new impetus to the development of relations and multi-sector agenda. “There is still a great unrealized potential both in terms of political dialogue and especially in terms of economic ties, and there is a willingness to take steps to reach continuous results,” added Ararat Mirzoyan.
The prospects of cooperation between the respective structures of the two countries in various fields were thoroughly discussed. Special attention was paid to the prospects of the development of cooperation in education, people-to-people contacts and cultural tourism, which can be significantly facilitated by the launch of Yerevan-Budapest direct flights. Recalling the existence of the Department of Armenian Studies at the Pázmány Péter Catholic University in Budapest, as well as the memorandums of understanding signed between the two countries in 2023-2024, Minister Mirzoyan stressed the importance of implementation of the experience and student exchanges, as well as scholarship programs.
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The special attention paid by Hungary to the protection of historical and cultural heritage and the steps taken in this direction were touched upon.
The Foreign Minister of Armenia and the Deputy Prime Minister of Hungary exchanged views on the issues of cooperation on the EU platform, taking into account Hungary’s upcoming Presidency of the EU Council in the second half of the year. Minister Mirzoyan expressed hope that with joint efforts it will be possible to implement all the projects outlined in the new Armenia-EU partnership agenda.
Touching upon Armenia’s vision of achieving lasting peace in the South Caucasus, Minister Mirzoyan briefed on the ongoing peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan, including the developments in the delimitation process, emphasizing the key principles of territorial integrity, recognition of borders and their inviolability.
In the context of the development of regional economic interconnectivity, Minister Mirzoyan presented to the interlocutor the “Crossroads of Peace” project developed by the Government of the Republic of Armenia and the opportunities provided by it.