Statements by Pashinyan and Merkel for the Media

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin. According to the press office of the Prime Minister of Armenia, following the welcoming ceremony of the delegations, the two leaders made statements for the media before starting their negotiations.

In her speech, Angela Merkel stated, "I warmly welcome the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, once again in Germany. We have had the opportunity to meet, and since that moment, the ties between our two countries have intensified. Today, we will discuss deepening our bilateral relations. Great changes are currently taking place in Armenia, and significant changes are also expected in the legal system. It is not an easy process, but we wish Armenia success in these steps. As I said, our relations have intensified. When I visited Armenia, I admired the Tumo Center. An agreement has been signed to open a Tumo Center here, and we will be able to open it in Berlin this fall. Last October, we had an economic forum that opened a new branch in German-Armenian relations. We thank Armenia for its intensive cooperation with us in the peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan. Armenia has signed an agreement with the European Union and is also a member of the Eurasian Economic Union, and we still have a long way to go for cooperation between the two unions. One of the important topics of today's discussion is the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The Prime Minister will continue his journey to Munich; we thank you and are happy to have you here today."

In turn, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said, "Dear Madam Chancellor, esteemed representatives of the media, ladies and gentlemen, it is with great pleasure that I wish to note that during my term in office, in the last one and a half years, I have met with the Chancellor for the third time. This fact itself is a vivid testimony to the high level of our relations. Germany is a close friend and partner of Armenia, and we feel the strength of that friendship in both emotional and practical terms. Germany is one of the powerful bridges that connects Armenia with the European Union, European civilization, and culture. Today, I can confidently state that our friendship is based on common values. These values unite our two countries and serve as a reliable foundation for cooperation in various fields.

I am pleased to note that today we are also connected through mutually beneficial cooperation and practical programs. We are ready to do everything possible to strengthen and promote that. Soon, we will have the opportunity to discuss our cooperation agenda with Madam Merkel. I particularly want to emphasize the support that Germany provides for the reforms taking place in Armenia. We are grateful for the moral, political, expert, and financial support from Germany and the European Union. It is crucial for ensuring the irreversibility of democracy in our country and for strengthening the rule of law and reforming economic and political institutions.

Overall, I want to emphasize another aspect of our interests in relations with Germany. You know that since 2018, Armenia has transitioned to a parliamentary governance system, and Germany is a very important and successful model for us as an efficient parliamentary governance state where checks and balances work clearly and where democracy has long been taken out of doubt and is historically irreversible. In this regard, our relations with Germany are very important, and today we will talk with the Chancellor about the developments currently taking place in Armenia, our reform agenda, including how we have previously discussed making democracy institutionally strong and irreversible in Armenia, which is a very important conversation.

In the context of cooperation with Germany, I would like to highlight the role of the German International Cooperation Agency (GIZ) and the German Reconstruction Bank (KfW) in our country. A significant part of our meeting will be devoted to the economic agenda, which has made significant progress in the last year and a half. In this context, we value the conduct of the next meeting of the Armenian-German intergovernmental commission. I am pleased that a delegation of German businessmen is expected to visit Armenia at the end of February, and in October, the "German Economic Union" will hold the "Armenia-Germany Economic Forum 2020" conference. We are very much interested in German companies entering Armenia. I am pleased to note that since our meeting last year, Madam Chancellor, we have tangible progress on almost all agreements. It is very pleasing that an agreement has been signed with KfW bank to establish a Tumo center for technology training in Berlin. It is a great honor for us to receive the leading experience of a technological giant like Germany.

We will also discuss cultural and educational cooperation with the Chancellor. It is important for us to receive Germany's leading experience in the educational field. We are very interested in the further dissemination of the German language and culture in Armenia. We are hopeful that the Goethe Center, which opened in Yerevan in December 2017, will soon become a full-fledged institute. In conclusion, let me state that today Armenian-German relations are at their highest level ever. Thank you."