Return of Prisoners of War is a Top Priority for Armenia, Says Pashinyan to Belarusian Ambassador

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received the newly appointed Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Belarus to Armenia, Alexander Konyuk, today. The Prime Minister congratulated the ambassador on his appointment and expressed confidence that his activity would contribute to the further strengthening of Armenian-Belarusian relations.

Pashinyan noted that Armenia values the development of political and economic cooperation with Belarus in both bilateral and multilateral formats and is interested in mutually beneficial projects.

The Prime Minister addressed the situation formed after the Nagorno-Karabakh war, emphasizing Belarus' balanced position on the matter. Pashinyan stated that the return of prisoners of war is a top priority for the Armenian side, as well as preserving Armenian cultural and religious heritage in territories that came under Azerbaijan's control, and ongoing work is being conducted in this direction.

Alexander Konyuk noted that Armenia and Belarus share much in common, enjoy close cooperation, and have a high level of political dialogue, assuring that he would make every effort to deepen the partnership during his term.

The Belarusian ambassador emphasized the importance of maintaining regional stability and stated that Belarus is ready to support efforts in this direction.

The two discussed activating economic ties between the two countries and the prospects for joint initiatives in various sectors, highlighting the significant existing potential. In this regard, the Prime Minister highlighted the active work of the intergovernmental commission on trade and economic issues and the intensive cooperation in parliament.

There was also a discussion about the opportunities created as a result of the unblocking of economic and transportation infrastructure in the region.

Pashinyan emphasized the uninterrupted operation of the Yerevan-Minsk flight amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been ensured through close cooperation between the parties. The Prime Minister requested to convey his greetings to the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko and Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko.