ARMENIAN AND BULGARIAN PRESIDENTS SIGNED JOINT STATEMENT

On invitation of the Armenian President Bulgarian leader Georgi Parvanov arrived in Yerevan today. Upon completion of the formal welcoming ceremony, the two Presidents had a tete-a-tete meeting, during which they discussed the Armenian-Bulgarian relations, prospects of cooperation and exchanged opinions on a number of regional and international issues. Then Armenian-Bulgarian negotiations were continued in expanded composition. Basing on the outcomes of the visit Robert Kocharian and G. Parvanov signed a joint statement, which says in part: “The Presidents of Republic of Bulgaria and Republic of Armenia with satisfaction note the positive effect of the Bulgarian-Armenian negotiations both on the whole spectrum of bilateral relations and foreign policy issues, which represent mutual interest”. The document also notes that the leaders of both states underscore the importance of further activation of economic cooperation between the two countries. “Bulgaria and Armenia welcome the activation in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement process in the year 2004. Both countries share the opinion that the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict should be exclusively peaceful”, the document says. To note, the document as well records of the support the two countries give to efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group to find a stable, universal settlement of the conflict, which would be admissible for all the parties.