Epress.am News from Armenia
On Apr. 14, the expanded meeting at the foreign ministers’ level of the North Atlantic Council devoted to Afghanistan took place in Berlin. The foreign ministers of over five dozen countries, which are members of the NATO and take part in the international forces in Afghanistan, attended the meeting.
Addressing a speech in the ministerial meeting, Armenian foreign minister Edward Nalbandian reaffirmed Armenia’s commitment to continue its contribution to the efforts undertaken towards the establishment of peace, security, stability and internal solidarity in Afghanistan.
While in Berlin, Nalbandian also met with Christoph Heusgen, the chief foreign policy and security adviser of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The parties spoke of ways to further strengthen amicable relations between Armenia and Germany, as well as discussing a wide range of international and regional issues.
Nalbandian and Heusgen also touched upon the process of implementing the agreements reached during Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s visit to Germany last year for contributing to the cooperation between the two countries.
The parties both mentioned that the two countries have established a high-level political dialogue, effectively developing cooperation in bilateral and multilateral formats, and a firm legal framework, as well as expanding business contacts and cooperation in the areas of culture and education.
Upon Heusgen’s request, Minister Nalbandian presented the recent developments in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.
Nalbandian also met with his Australian counterpart Kevin Rudd, with whom he discussed “issues of mutual interest” and efforts toward the Karabakh peace process, according to a release published on the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.
Note, Armenia has deployed at least 40 military personnel to Afghanistan who are mainly stationed in Kunduz, ensuring the security of the airport there.