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Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and Slovakia’s Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Miroslav Lajčák held a joint press conference in Yerevan on Monday to sum up the outcomes of their talks held earlier in the day.

The Armenian foreign policy chief noted that this time the occasion of the Slovak minister’s visit is the official opening of the Embassy of Slovakia in Armenia.

Mnatsakanyan said that since the establishment of bilateral relations Armenia and Slovakia have formed friendly ties based on mutual respect and sympathy. He expressed confidence that the opening of the embassy in Armenia will enrich the bilateral agenda and will take it to a new level.

The minister noted that the meeting addressed the enhancement of relations at all levels, highlighting the expansion of cooperation in political, commercial, cultural and other areas.

The sides also highlighted the cooperation of Armenia and Slovakia on the international platforms – namely within the OSCE, UN and Council of Europe. The ministers also touched upon the EU-Armenia agenda issues, the Eastern Partnership, hailing it as an extremely important platform, especially among partners who share common values.

Minister Mnatsakanyan congratulated Slovakia on its effective presidency over the OSCE in 2019, saying that the OSCE remains one of the important platforms where the two countries cooperate.

As FM Mnatsakanyan said, the agenda of reforms in Armenia was also presented during the talks.

The parties also touched upon regional and global issues, the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process and the recent meetings held within that framework.

"I once again want to emphasize the need to give real content to the agreements on preparing the populations for peace. The failure to implement the agreements reached at the level of the leaders, and the rejection of the Artsakh people's right to self-determination by acting from more maximalist positions, hinders progress in the peace process," the minister said.