Prime Minister and President Meet Foreign Ministry and Diplomatic Mission Heads in Gyumri

GYUMRI — Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President Vahagn Khachaturyan met in Gyumri with senior officials of Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and heads of the country’s diplomatic missions abroad who are participating in the ministry’s annual workshop.

The meeting was also attended by National Assembly Speaker Ruben Rubinyan, Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan, Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff Lilit Makunts, Security Council Secretary Alen Simonyan, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, and other representatives of Armenia’s legislative and executive branches.

Pashinyan delivered remarks highlighting the decision to rename the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. He noted that similar models exist in various countries and said the main purpose of the change is to give greater prominence to the economic dimension and function of Armenia’s international relations.

In his remarks, Pashinyan also addressed the government’s balanced and balancing foreign policy, the fundamental directions of Armenia’s foreign policy, efforts aimed at diversifying the economy, the country’s priorities in international relations, and upcoming initiatives.

The prime minister’s remarks were followed by discussions on key issues on Armenia’s foreign policy agenda.