UK interested in expanding ties with Armenia, says Leo Doherty

YEREVAN, May 23. /ARKA/. The United Kingdom is interested in expanding relations with Armenia in various areas, British Under Secretary for Europe Leo Doherty said at the meeting today with the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Yerevan.

The press service of the Armenian government quoted Leo Doherty as saying that the start of the strategic dialogue between Britain and Armenia has already been announced.

In his turn, Pashinyan welcomed Doherty's visit to Yerevan and stressed the importance of close cooperation and development of mutual relations with the United Kingdom in different areas. He expressed confidence that bilateral relations have great potential for development.

The sides discussed issues related to trade and economic cooperation, opportunities for the implementation of projects in the solar energy and other areas.

Pashinyan added that the Armenian government is interested in attracting British investors to the Armenian market.

Reference was also made to the normalization of the Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, the reopening of regional transport and economic infrastructures, border demarcation and border security between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the humanitarian crisis created in Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of Azerbaijan’s illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor, introduction of an international mechanism of dialogue between Baku and Stepanakert.

Pashinyan noted that the aim of Azerbaijan's policy is not only to block the Lachin corridor, the only road linking Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, but also to deprive the people of Nagorno-Karabakh of natural gas and electricity supplies from Armenia and to subject the Karabakh Armenians to ethnic cleansing. -0-