The Presidents of Armenia and Latvia made statements to the Press

President of the Republic Vahagn Khachaturyan and President of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs made statements for representatives of the mass media.

Statement by President Vahagn Khachaturyan:

“Today, I have the honor of hosting the esteemed President of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, and the delegation headed by him in Armenia.
I am pleased to note that this is my counterpart’s first visit as President, although we previously had the honor of hosting Mr. Rinkēvičs in Armenia during his tenure as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia.

I would like to express satisfaction that in recent years we have taken active steps toward developing a strong and dynamic political dialogue. Armenian-Latvian partnership is based on friendship, democratic values, and a shared commitment to ensuring a prosperous and more secure future for our peoples.

Armenia and Latvia are like-minded countries in preserving independence, sovereignty, democratic values, and promoting peace, and are determined to further deepen cooperation in these areas.

Today, we thoroughly discussed various components of bilateral relations, emphasizing the promotion of trade and investment.

We considered the use of the significant potential in the field of high technologies to be promising and mutually beneficial, taking into account Latvia’s notable achievements in information technologies, digitalization, innovation, and cybersecurity, as well as Armenia’s successful experience with innovation-driven centers and the substantial reforms implemented in both the public and private sectors. We emphasized the necessity of implementing more targeted cooperative programs in cybersecurity, air communication, education, and other fields of bilateral interest.

In the context of advancing sectoral cooperation, we highlighted the importance of expanding the legal and contractual framework, which currently includes more than two dozen agreements.

I expressed my gratitude to President Rinkēvičs for the support provided by the Latvian government to the reforms being implemented in Armenia through development cooperation programs.

Both sides stressed the importance of continuing the cooperation established since 2024 between Armenia and the Nordic-Baltic Eight format.

Within the framework of our cooperation, the dialogue carried out under the Armenia-EU partnership is, of course, of special importance. First of all, I expressed gratitude to Mr. President for his contribution to advancing Armenia-EU cooperation. I also noted the importance of the continued support provided by Latvia for programs of primary significance to Armenia, emphasizing their role in strengthening Armenia’s resilience.

I also highly appreciated Latvia’s participation in the EU civilian monitoring mission in Armenia. We hope that, with Latvia’s support, we will also be able to advance our reform agenda, which is a cornerstone for realizing Armenia’s aspirations toward EU membership in the future.

Today, we also addressed regional and geopolitical issues, including the situation in the Middle East. I also presented to President Rinkēvičs the latest developments in the South Caucasus, including the process of normalizing relations with our neighbors.

Armenia highly appreciates Latvia’s balanced approach toward regional developments and its contribution to strengthening regional stability and security.

In conclusion, I would once again like to thank You for Your visit, for the meaningful and constructive discussions, and in general for your friendship and commitment to democracy.”