"Armenia can be an example of how it is possible to achieve good cooperation with Russia while still enjoying good cooperation with the European Union," said Chancellor Angela Merkel in Yerevan. Germany, she continued, had noted with much good will the changes made earlier this year that followed the peaceful protests in Armenia. Cooperation in both cultural and economic sphere can be stepped up, she said.

During the second stop on her trip to the South Caucasus, the Chancellor met with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Germany could help Armenia both in the field of infrastructure and with respect to digitalisation, she said. Cooperation could also be stepped up in the fields of raw materials, services and the education system, she added.

Mutally acceptable solution for Nagorno-Karabakh

Armenia and neighbouring Azerbaijan have been locked in conflict over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh for decades. "We are ready to take on responsibility for resolving the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh," said Angela Merkel. But, she added, the conflict must "be resolved in an atmosphere in which all sides are ready to work for that solution". The international platform for mediation talks is provided by the OSCE-led Minsk Group, co-chaired by France, Russia and the USA. With its EU partners, Germany supports the negotiations and the engagement of the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus. It encourages Azerbaijan and Armenia to find a peaceful solution to this conflict that is acceptable to both sides.

Chancellor lays wreath at Tsitsernakaberd Memorial

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s visit to Armenia began at the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial, where she laid a wreath. "As friends and partners of Armenia, we Germans are very much aware of the atrocities suffered by the Armenians in 1915 and the years that followed," said the Chancellor. This suffering will not be forgotten. Germany will do its bit to ensure that.