On January 26 took place the working visit of the Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandian to Lithuania.

The Vilnius agenda of Edward Nalbandian included the meetings with the Lithuanian Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius, Foreign Minister Audronius Ažubalis and the Saeima Deputy Speaker Česlovas Juršėnas, as well as the members of the Parliament.

During the talk between the Lithuanian Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius and Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandian, the dynamical development of the relations in the recent years, the high-ranking meetings, the reciprocal visits, the establishment of the Armenian Embassy in Vilnius, the expansion of legal framework and the development of economic and cultural ties were mutually underlined with satisfaction.

The Lithuanian Prime Minister and Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs had a thorough talk on a wide range of issues on the bilateral agenda, the ways of the further development of economic cooperation, as well as the steps to be undertaken towards the establishment of contacts between businessmen.

The interlocutors exchanged views on Armenia-EU cooperation, and the projects being implemented in that formats, as well as the regional issues in the South Caucasus.

The next meeting of Minister Nalbandian was with his Lithuanian counterpart Audronius Ažubalis.

The Ministers had a detailed talk on bilateral relations and international issues. They reached an agreement on the schedule of reciprocal high-level visits in the current year, as well.

The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Armenia and Lithuania discussed the processes underway in Europe, the cooperation between Armenia and the European Union, the interaction in the frames of international organizations, and the issues on the intensification of political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs.

Ministers Nalbandian and Ažubalis exchanged views on the recent developments in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. In this regard, Minister Ažubalis reaffirmed Lithuania’s support for the peaceful resolution of the issues in the frameworks of the negotiations being conducted under the auspice of the OSCE Minsk Group Chairmanship.

After the meeting, the signing of an agreement between the Governments of Armenia and Lithuania on the cooperation in cultural sphere took place.

On the same day Edward Nalbandian had a meeting with Česlovas Juršėnas, the Saeima Deputy Speaker of the Republic of Lithuania, Algis Kašėta, Lithuania - Armenia Inter-parliamentary Friendship Group and members of the Lithuanian Parliament, as well.

Welcoming the Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Saeima Deputy Speaker Česlovas Juršėnas mentioned that the Armenian-Lithuanian similarities run deep in centuries and were tested by the history of the mutual friendship.

During the meeting, a number of issues related to the Armenian-Lithuanian parliamentary cooperation, and the ways of the intensification of the activities of the Friendship Group functioning in the Parliaments were discussed.

Meetings with the media were on the agenda of Edward Nalbandian, as well. Particularly, the Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs gave an extensive interview to the Lithuanian Public Television.

Ministers Nalbandian and Ažubalis had a joint briefing with the journalists.
Commenting on France's decision to criminalize denial of the Armenian genocide, Minister Nalbandian, first of all, thanked Lithuania for having recognized the Armenian Genocide in 2005, and said,

“The arguments voiced from Turkey don’t stand any criticism. They are saying that the passed bill would impede the normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations. But everybody knows that if there is anyone hindering the normalization, it is Turkey. The argument voiced from Turkey states that the bill reedits the history.

Unfortunately, the black pages of the history which became the tragedy for an entire nation have already been written. To turn those pages, if that is possible at all, could be done through recognition, condemnation, prevention of denial, so that the world would not witness new tragedies, new crimes against humanity.

The bill passed by Senate does not concern any concrete country.

Here a well-known proverb is to the point: a thief’s hat is burning. The reaction, I would say the over-reaction of Turkey, full of blames against France, against all the countries which have recognized the Armenian Genocide, insults the victims of the Armenian Genocide and Armenian Diaspora formed as a result of it. Those provocative statements and overreaction full of denial from the Turkish side is a proof of the policy of denial on the state level. This is a very dangerous phenomenon.

The denial of the Armenian genocide during World War I is a dangerous policy. The overreaction from the Turkish side proves that this law is very important and it was necessary to adopt such a law. And all this proves the necessity and importance of the law adopted by France. That decision should get the support of other countries in order not to allow new crimes against humanity.”

Commenting on the same question, Foreign Minister Audronius Ažubalis noted, “Sooner or later history knocks at the gates of our present, and we have to open them. We have to deal with that history, we have to evaluate it in an open, blunt and fair way what happened. Without that we will never have peace in inter-state relations. This is why I believe that right are those politicians who say that we should talk about and discuss history, the past, and those who say that we should leave to historians and the past are wrong. As long as we don’t settle accounts with the past, residue and bitterness in mutual relations will remain.”

Concluding the visit to Lithuania, Edward Nalbandian returned to Yerevan.