On January 30, the minister of FA of RA Vartan Oskanian who was on a working trip in the Netherlands met with his counterpart Bernard Bot.

Greeting the guest, the minister of FA of the Netherlands singled out the themes of common interest for both sides such as bilateral cooperation, assistance programs within the framework of EU Neighborhood Policy, as well as regional issues. Both sides stressed the importance of the ongoing dialogue between the ministries.
           
Thanking his colleague for the warm welcome, Minister Oskanian noted that Armenia truly appreciates the continuing assistance from the Netherlands, through international financial institutions and through bilateral programs aimed at helping in the formation of a civil society and economic development. The minister reaffirmed that Armenia is interested in the deepening of bilateral relations and cooperation in all spheres and announced that Armenia plans to open a consulate in the Netherlands soon.

Armenia’s Foreign Minister also expressed pleasure at the fact that a chair of Dutch language and culture – the first in the region – would soon be established at the Bryusov Language Institute.

Speaking about the broad-based economic and political relations between the two countries, Minister Bot expressed hope that the upcoming elections in Armenia will correspond to international standards, thus providing the opportunity of enlarging existing bilateral cooperation.

The ministers also discussed Armenia’s euro-integration processes, stressing the importance of the active involvement of the Netherlands in the implementation of the European Neighborhood Policy programs, especially in the areas of economic development and regional cooperation. Minister Oskanian noted that the cooperation with Europe is one of the priorities of Armenian foreign policy and Armenia will use any given opportunity for taking those relations one step deeper.

The sides exchanged thoughts on regional problems including the latest developments in Armenia-Turkey relations. Both stressed the importance of progress in the dialogue between the two countries. In response to a question from Minister Oskanian, his counterpart presented the official Hague perspective on the Kosovo problem and noted the latest efforts by UN chief negotiator Martti Ahtisaari.

The two ministers discussed the latest developments in the Nagorno Karabagh conflict peace talks.
           
Following his meeting with the Dutch Foreign Minister, Minister Oskanian held a meeting with heads of Armenian organization in the Netherlands. In his talk, the Minister presented ongoing reforms in Armenia, he talked about the Karabakh negotiations process and gave details on the rural development program which was the main agenda item of the 2006 Armenia Diaspora Conference.

The following day, Minister Oskanian met with members of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Netherlands Parliament.
           
In addition to bilateral matters, the Minister spoke about domestic political reforms. He also spoke about Armenia’s foreign policy priorities, including the status of the implementation of agreements with NATO and the EU.
           
Turning to regional problems, parliamentarians noted that Turkey’s EU accession was a topic of much discussion in the Netherlands and in the Parliament itself. Expressing his gratitude for the Parliament’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide in 2004, Minister Oskanian spoke on the present state of Armenia-Turkey relations. He stressed the importance of the involvement of interested and friendly countries in the process of starting a dialogue and opening of borders.

The present state of Armenian-Iranian and Armenian-Russian relations was also discussed.

That same afternoon, Minister Oskanian visited the Netherlands Institute of International Relations in Clingendael and delivered a talk on the “Diplomacy of Small States.”