Statement by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of Armenia and response to a journalist’s question at the joint press conference with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia
Your Excellency Minister Baiba Braže,
Dear Colleagues,
It is a particular pleasure to be in Riga today, in my new capacity as Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of the Republic of Armenia.
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Dear colleagues,
I would like to emphasize that Minister Braže and I maintain regular contacts on a wide range of topics of mutual interest. Today as well, we had substantive discussions on key issues of our bilateral agenda, Armenia-EU relations, as well as regional and international developments.
During the recent years, Armenia and Latvia have succeeded in building a strong and dynamic political dialogue and a partnership grounded on friendship and shared democratic values. Armenia and Latvia are partners, united by the commitment to sovereignty, democracy and peace.
A key focus of our today’s discussions was the expansion of economic cooperation and the diversification of Armenia’s export markets. We agreed on the importance of translating our strong political dialogue into concrete economic outcomes by further promoting bilateral trade, encouraging investment and establishing closer links between our business communities.
In this context, I expressed my particular gratitude to Minister Braže for her prompt response and assistance in facilitating the urgent export of Armenian certain goods to the Latvian market. This practical support is highly valued and demonstrates Latvia’s readiness to contribute to Armenia’s economic diversification at a critical moment.
We also highlighted the importance of reciprocal visits by business delegations, the organization of joint business forums, direct engagement between our private sectors, and closer cooperation between the investment promotion agencies of our two countries. Armenia stands ready to explore concrete investment opportunities and develop targeted, mutually beneficial economic projects with Latvia.
We agreed on the need to develop more targeted and results-oriented cooperation in such areas as energy, resilience against hybrid threats, digital transformation, advanced technologies and artificial intelligence, e-governance, cybersecurity and education.
Dear colleagues,
Armenia’s deepening partnership with the European Union naturally occupied an important place in our discussions. We highly value Latvia’s consistent support for initiatives of particular importance to Armenia. Our cooperation in this area is multifaceted and includes the implementation of existing agreements, initiatives aimed at strengthening Armenia’s resilience and promoting economic diversification, as well as the identification of new avenues for partnership.
Visa liberalization with the European Union is a key priority for Armenia and an important component of our broader and deepening partnership with the EU. We highly value Latvia’s continued support for the Armenia–EU Visa Liberalization Dialogue and count on its constructive engagement as Armenia advances through the next stages of this process. We hope that, with Latvia’s continued support, Armenia will be able to advance its ambitious reform agenda, which is a cornerstone of our efforts in bringing the country closer to the European Union.
We also discussed our constructive cooperation within multilateral formats, including the continued development of cooperation within the Armenia–Nordic-Baltic Eight framework.
Dear Colleagues,
Today we also exchanged views on regional developments, the broader geopolitical situation and current challenges.
I presented Armenia’s efforts to further strengthen and institutionalize the peace already established between Armenia and Azerbaijan. We also discussed the importance of unblocking regional economic and transport infrastructures, which is a direct outcome of the peace and stability that have been established in our region. A clear example of this is the TRIPP project which will soon advance into the construction phase. I emphasized that the new realities in the region create significant opportunities for developing interregional ties, expanding economic cooperation and connectivity projects.
Dear Minister, dear Baiba,
I would like to thank you once again for the warm welcome, the productive discussions, as well as for your partnership and friendship.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
