Prime Minister and Dutch Ambassador Discuss Agenda for Developing Bilateral Relations

On January 19, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received Nicholas Schermers, the extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador of the Netherlands in Armenia, who is the first resident ambassador of his country in Armenia.

The Prime Minister's press office informed that while welcoming the diplomat, Pashinyan stated, "The opening of the Dutch embassy in Yerevan and the appointment of a resident ambassador opens new opportunities for the development of cooperation between our countries. This will contribute not only to the expansion of bilateral relations but also to multilateral formats, including within the framework of the European Union," said Nikol Pashinyan.

The Prime Minister highly appreciated the constructive and impartial position of the Netherlands towards our region, as well as its support for Armenia’s democratic reform agenda.

Addressing the situation created after the war in Nagorno-Karabakh, Nikol Pashinyan emphasized that the return of prisoners of war remains a top priority for the Armenian side, and intensive work is currently ongoing in this direction.

Pashinyan asked to convey warm greetings to Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and expressed regret that his planned visit last year was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

For his part, Nicholas Schermers expressed honor in being tasked with the diplomatic mission in Armenia and assured that he would make every effort to strengthen Armenian-Dutch relations. According to him, the purpose of the opening of the Dutch embassy in Armenia is to ensure a balanced diplomatic presence in the region, which will enable support for various initiatives aimed at Armenia's democratic and economic development and the strengthening of the rule of law.

Highlighting high-level bilateral visits, the ambassador expressed hope that it would soon be possible to organize Prime Minister Pashinyan's visit to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which had been postponed due to the pandemic.

Nicholas Schermers extended his condolences to the Prime Minister regarding the casualties of military and civilian personnel in Artsakh due to the hostilities and wished a speedy recovery to the wounded.

The interlocutors discussed issues related to the development of economic ties between Armenia and the Netherlands. Cooperation prospects in information technologies, agriculture, tourism, and the humanitarian sector were deemed promising by both sides.

The Prime Minister noted that the government’s vision is to have an economy based on knowledge and technology and suggested that the ambassador attract Dutch companies' attention to investment opportunities in these areas.

Pashinyan also spoke about the opportunities that arise from the unblocking of the region’s economic and transport infrastructures.

Nicholas Schermers expressed readiness to inform Dutch companies about Armenia's investment opportunities and to actively work towards promoting cooperation. He also highly appreciated the contribution of the Armenian-Dutch community in various sectors of public life in the country.