1 / 10

On June 11, at joint sitting of the RA National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Relations and Financial-Credit and Budgetary Affairs moderated by Ruben Rubinyan and Mane Tandilyan continued the debates of the annual report on Execution of RA State Budget for 2019, and the executive document of the incomes and expenditures on payments of the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs, joining the international organizations and on Diaspora was the key issue.

The RA Minister of Finance Atom Janjughazyan presented the common indices of the budgetary allocations of the financial year in general terms.

The RA Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan has touched upon the expenditures and the indices on the foreign relations, noting that the cooperation approach has been and remains on the basis of Armenia’s international agenda, which has been especially underlined in the conditions of the present realities, when everybody fights against the new challenge of the pandemic. According to the Minister, ensuring of the security system is a prior problem. To the speaker’s conviction, in 2019 Armenia with its diplomatic activity confirmed that the self-sovereignty is one of the most important principles of the RA foreign policy and together with two other principles – all-Armenianness and cooperation ensures the preservation of the Armenian people’s values and interests on the international arena.

Zohrab Mnatsakanyan underlined that during the financial year the most important prevalence of Armenia’s foreign policy continued remaining ensuring the security of Armenia and Artsakh and the peaceful settlement of Artsakh problem. During the year, it was possible to reach two agreements on preparing the peoples to peace and creating favourable environment for peace. The Minister recorded that Armenia distinctly affirmed its approaches of Karabakh problem, which were expressed on numerous occasions. He has documented that the issue of the RA citizens being kept on the territory of Azerbaijan and remains at the centre of attention of the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Among the series of Armenia’s diplomatic priorities Zohrab Mnatsakanyan underscored the international recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide. In this context he has noted that our country is actively engaged in the international efforts aimed at the prevention of genocides and crimes against humanity.

The Minister presented details on the relations of the RA with a number of countries, formats of partnership with the international counterparts, cooperation with the international organizations, the ways of rendering consular services, the launch of the RA-EU entry visa liberalization, the activities of Armenia’s diplomatic service bodies accredited in the international organizations of the foreign states and a series directions of different spheres.

“The foreign policy of Armenia continued implementing with modest budget,” the Minister documented.

Zohrab Mnatsakanyan gave clarifications on the MPs’ question, which related to the foreign policy priorities, the review of the foreign department work, the diplomats’ salaries, the necessity of the expansion of the information work toolset implemented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the efficiency of the Ambassadors’ activities and other directions.