President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky visited Armenia on a working visit, which was the first for the head of the Ukrainian state in the last 24 years. During his stay in Yerevan, Zelensky held a meeting with the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, during which the parties discussed important issues of bilateral cooperation and security.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Discussion of security and economic partnership
During the negotiations, Zelensky and Pashinyan focused on the situation in the region, current security challenges and threats, as well as the prospects for economic cooperation. According to the President of Ukraine, special attention was paid to restoring active dialogue between the countries. Zelensky informed about Kyiv’s diplomatic efforts to achieve real peace and also proposed to resume the work of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation. The next meeting of this commission is proposed to be held in Kyiv later this year.
It is known that the leaders’ meeting took place on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit, where Zelensky arrived late in the evening under heightened security measures.
Armenia changes its political vector
Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan noted in his comments that during the negotiations with Zelensky, the parties emphasized the importance of promoting sustainable peace and also discussed the prospects for strengthening bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on key regional and global events.
“This summer will be the moment when Putin will decide what to do next – to escalate this war or to move towards diplomatic solutions. We must push him towards diplomacy,” said Volodymyr Zelensky at the summit in Yerevan.
It is worth noting that Armenia has long been considered an ally of the Russian Federation, which has a military base on the territory of the country. However, since 2018, Prime Minister Pashinyan has gradually been orienting Yerevan towards closer ties with Western countries.
Earlier, Zelensky emphasized that the goal of his foreign visits is to accelerate the achievement of peace, promote a package of international assistance to Ukraine amounting to $106 billion, as well as strengthen Ukraine’s air defense and develop cooperation in the energy sector.