Merkel Pledges Germany’s Support for Karabakh Peace, Hails EU-Armenia Relations

YEREVAN—German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is on an official visit to Armenia, pledged her country’s support for a peace resolution to the Karabakh conflict and hailed Armenia’s relations with Germany and European Union.

Merkel arrived in Armenia on Friday and was met at Zvartnots International Airport by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, President Armen Sarkissian and other government officials. From the airport, Merkel, joined by Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, visited the Dzidzernagapert Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex, where she laid a wreath in memory of the victims of the Genocide and after signing the memory book, planted a tree in the memorial garden.

Before holding talks separately with Pashinyan and Sarkissian, Merkel visited the Tumo Center for Creative Technologies. After the official meeting, Merkel was joined by the president, prime minister, his wife, Anna Hakopyan for a stroll on Yerevan’s Northern Avenue.

But it was Merkel’s high praise for German, EU, Armenia relations, as well as Armenia’s balancing act between Russia and the West that was the highlight of the bi-lateral talks. This, coupled with Merkel’s pledge to ensure a peaceful resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh by leveraging Germany’s membership in the OSCE Minsk Group the created optimism.

Merkel said Armenia can become an example of how a country can cooperate with Russia, while at the same time, advance and develop relations with the European Union.

“Armenia can be an example of how it’s possible to cooperate with Russia and, at the same time, have good relations with the European Union,â€