Armenian Ambassador Discusses New Permanent Diplomatic Presence in Luxembourg, Crossroads of Peace Project

Chronicle.lu had the opportunity to speak with Tigran Balayan, Ambassador of Armenia to Luxembourg and Belgium and Ambassador-Designate to the European Union, on the occasion of his most recent working visit to the Grand Duchy.

During his visit to Luxembourg on Friday 8 December 2023, Ambassador Balayan met with the new President of the Chamber of Deputies (Luxembourg's parliament), Claude Wiseler, the Mayor of Pétange, Jean-Marie Halsdorf, and MP Gusty Graas (in his role as head of the parliamentary commission on foreign affairs), among others. On the agenda were bilateral relations, particularly in the fields of the economy and trade, and the planned "twinning" of the towns of Dilijan in Armenia and Pétange in Luxembourg, as well as the "Crossroads of Peace" project.

On the importance and evolution of bilateral relations, the Armenian Ambassador highlighted Armenia's new permanent diplomatic presence in Luxembourg. Although already in place for several weeks, the official opening is expected to take place in the near future. This development "shows the determination to further strengthen our exemplary relations", the ambassador said. He later added that he hoped Luxembourg would "reciprocate" by setting up a permanent presence in Armenia in the coming years. He also referred back to the working visit of Luxembourg's then Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn to Armenia in February 2023, when he received the "Mkhitar Gosh" medal, Armenia's highest honorary distinction.

Moreover, Ambassador Balayan spoke about the government of Armenia's "Crossroads of Peace" project and appealed to Luxembourg companies and actors to support this regional connectivity project, which aims to turn Armenia into "a hub of cooperation" and "a global gateway" through infrastructure development (roads, railways, etc.) and the creation of new links between countries in the region. He expressed the desire for Luxembourg "to actively participate" in this "ambitious" project.

Elaborating further on trade and economic ties between Luxembourg and Armenia, he mentioned the visit of an Armenian business delegation to Luxembourg in October 2022. He also highlighted a couple of specific fields of interest, namely IT, space and education (e.g. collaboration between Yerevan State University and the University of Luxembourg), as well as the financial and banking sectors. He added that Armenia was seeking "knowledge" and "experience" on European standards, for example regarding road construction and road safety.

Ambassador Balayan also noted how the Armenian community in Luxembourg is growing and is "very diverse". According to STATEC, there were 159 Armenian nationals living in Luxembourg as of 1 January 2023 - compared to 133 in 2022 (and just 48 back in 2015). He described the Armenian communities abroad as "a natural bridge" between their host country and Armenia, and highlighted their valuable role in supporting bilateral relations. He added that he plans to meet with members of the Armenian community during his next visit to the Grand Duchy, in January 2024.

In addition to addressing relations with Luxembourg, the ambassador discussed the "deepening" of Armenia-EU relations, including EU support for Armenia amid the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Looking at developments in the region, he noted that for Armenia, "it is very clear the peace treaty [with Azerbaijan] is almost ready to sign", although he argued that Azerbaijan was trying to postpone this. Nevertheless, he noted a "change of mood" in Brussels, where he is currently based, and in several EU member states, in terms of strengthened support for Armenia, adding that Luxembourg had been "very vocal" in its support from the start. Despite its small size, Luxembourg's voice is "heard" and "valued" as a founding member of the EU, he concluded.