MPs of the UK Parliament, representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Development, the Armenian community in the UK, public and political figures attended the event.

 

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan and Chris Allan, the Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia Division (EECAD) at Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Ambassador of Armenia to the United Kingdom Varuzhan Nersisyan delivered welcome and congratulatory remarks.

 

Ararat Mirzoyan mentioned in his remarks: “We are gathered here for two important reasons:

 

First, to celebrate Armenia’s new Embassy premises in the heart of London. For us, this edifice marks the significant milestone in Armenia’s relationship with the UK and demonstrates the importance we place on deepening our relations built upon shared values, mutual respect, and a commitment to peace, democracy and economic development.

 

This year Armenia and the UK are celebrating 32 years of diplomatic relations, however our ties date back centuries. On this profound basis Armenia and the UK have made significant progress in enhancing political ties and economic cooperation, fostering stronger trading links and promoting closer people-to-people exchange through tourism, education, and culture. Opening of the new embassy building is a testimony to our enduring relations and readiness to deepen the cooperation.

 

Secondly, we are also here to mark the establishment of a Strategic Dialogue between Armenia and the UK. This is indeed a new chapter in our bilateral relations, which provides us with an elevated framework to strengthen cooperation in critical areas like regional security, sustainable development and human rights. Through the Strategic Dialogue, we are reaffirming our commitment to working closely with the UK in addressing global challenges and advancing our common interests. 

 

We have a long road to cover and an important turn on that road starts here and today. We aspire for an even more ambitious bilateral cooperation agenda through the signing of the Armenia-UK Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement. This agreement will give us a solid legal foundation to further elevate our relations for the benefit of both peoples.

 

Dear guests,

 

Armenia is proud of the significant progress we have made in building a modern, democratic, market-oriented, open and vibrant society. We gratefully acknowledge the UK’s ongoing contribution to these efforts and today, Armenia and the UK stand together as proud democracies.

 

Despite the humanitarian and security challenges that Armenia is currently facing, I want to assure you that we remain firmly committed to our democratic aspirations. We continue to focus on the opportunities to establish peace, stability and cooperation in our region. It is in this context that the Prime Minister of Armenia has recently introduced the “Crossroads of Peace” project, the key essence of which is the development of communications by means of renovating, building, and operating roads, railways, pipelines, cables and electricity lines. This can play an instrumental role in connecting North to South and West to East.

 

Dear guests,

 

I’m confident that together, we can contribute to a global community that values peace, justice, and is hinged on solidarity to jointly meet the ever-increasing challenges.

 

Thank you all again for being here today.”