Minister Bettel Reiterates Luxembourg's Full Support for Armenia's Democratic Transition

Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Xavier Bettel, paid an official visit to Armenia on Monday 9 and Tuesday 10 September 2024.

As reported by Luxembourg's Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, Minister Bettel was received in Yerevan by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Foreign Affairs Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and National Assembly President Alen Simonyan.

The ministry noted that these meetings helped to further strengthen bilateral relations between Luxembourg and Armenia, following the establishment of an Armenian diplomatic representation in Luxembourg in February 2024 and the accreditation of a non-resident Luxembourg Ambassador to Armenia. Relations between the European Union and Armenia were also on the agenda. In this context, Minister Bettel reiterated Luxembourg's full support for the democratic transition and the reform process initiated by the Armenian government since 2018.

Minister Bettel also welcomed the decision of the European Commission to launch a dialogue on visa liberalisation with Armenia, describing this step as a tangible and concrete example of the deepening of EU-Armenia relations, of which the Armenian population will be the main beneficiary.

At the invitation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, Xavier Bettel then participated in the first edition of the Yerevan Dialogue, a diplomatic forum bringing together political representatives, international organisations, researchers and actors from the private sector and civil society.

In the context of the panel "South Caucasus at the Crossroads: Between Fragmentation and Cooperation" in which he participated, Minister Bettel stressed the importance of dialogue as a key element of multilateralism. He said that Luxembourg, as a founding member of the European Union and the Benelux countries, was aware of the importance of regional cooperation in promoting stability, peace and prosperity.

On the regional situation, Minister Bettel recalled that Luxembourg continues to advocate for a peaceful and negotiated resolution of all disputes between Armenia and Azerbaijan, based on respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of both countries. Any further violation of Armenia's sovereignty and territorial integrity is unacceptable, he added.

Minister Bettel stressed it was important to seize the momentum presented by the current peace negotiations, with the aim of achieving a lasting peace that would have enormous benefits for the entire region, and in particular for the civilian populations.

The visit was also an opportunity for Minister Bettel to visit the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies, an out-of-school training centre for adolescents that offers an innovative programme combining technology, design and art to develop the creative and technical skills of young people aged twelve to eighteen.

At the end of his visit, Minister Bettel went to Yeraskh to visit the European Union Mission to Armenia (EUMA) and to talk with the Luxembourg police officer deployed to this mission as a Monitoring Team Leader. The mandate of EUMA is to observe the security situation along the Armenian border with Azerbaijan, and to promote human security in these border areas.