Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received a delegation led by German Bundestag Vice President Thomas Oppermann.

Welcoming Thomas Oppermann’s visit, the Prime Minister believed it a very good opportunity to continue the recently revitalized dialogue on the furtherance of the Armenian-German relations. Nikol Pashinyan reminded that over the past one year, he and Chancellor Angela Merkel paid mutual visits, the President of the National Assembly of Armenia visited Germany and the President of the Constitutional Court of Germany visited Armenia.

Appreciating the ongoing multifaceted cooperation, the head of the Armenian government highlighted the joint efforts in implementing the judicial reform. “Judicial reforms are of paramount importance to us. To complete the democratic transformations in our country, we need a judicial system vested with public trust,” the Prime Minister said, stressing that Armenia is closely cooperating with the EU and the CoE to that end.

Nikol Pashinyan expressed conviction that with the support of its European partners, his government will succeed in those efforts. “We have been through democratic processes to make of Armenia an advanced nation in terms of human rights, freedom of speech, strong democratic values and an independent judiciary,” the Prime Minister noted.

According to the Vice President of the German Bundestag, the developments in Armenia have aroused great interest in European countries. “The Germans specifically entertain a great sympathy for those changes underway in your country, and we hope that Armenia will succeed. Eager to see Armenia a progressive country, we will do everything to assist you with your effort. The Armenian Government is on the right path to judicial reforms, since it is impossible to succeed without having an independent judiciary,” Thomas Oppermann noted.

Nikol Pashinyan pointed out that after the Bundestag’s adoption of a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide in 2016, Germany has earned a special place in the hearts of all Armenians. The Bundestag’s resolution is crucial in terms of the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

The parties took the opportunity to refer to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement process. Nikol Pashinyan and Thomas Oppermann prioritized the peaceful settlement of the conflict and the observance of the ceasefire regime, assessing as inadmissible the recent escalation on the contact line.

The Prime Minister of Armenia stressed the need for implementing the agreements reached at the Vienna Summit as early as in 2016 on developing appropriate mechanisms for investigating ceasefire violations.

The Bundestag Vice President expressed conviction that the atmosphere of mutual confidence will impart a constructive nature to the talks and will eventually lead to de-escalation.

Prime Minister Pashinyan reiterated that full participation of all stakeholders in the negotiation process is a key precondition for the settlement of the conflict.