On July 16, Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, who is on a working visit to Washington D.C. for participation in the second Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, met with Philip Reeker, the U.S. Acting Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs.

During the meeting both sides highlighted the importance of holding Ministerial on religious freedom as a platform for cooperation aimed at combining the efforts of the international community towards the protection of freedom of religion and belief.

Zohrab Mnatsakanyan presented the approaches of Armenia on exercising the right to freedom of religion and emphasized the demand to protect endangered religious groups. The sides touched upon the issues on the protection of religious minorities and particularly Christians in the Middle East.

During the meeting the interlocutors commended recent dynamics of the Armenia-U.S. partnership and friendly relations, underscoring that the existing rich bilateral agenda is a good basis for further expanding cooperation in various spheres.

At the meeting the sides exchanged views on a number of international and regional issues.

The Foreign Minister of Armenia and the Acting Assistant Secretary also touched upon the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process and the meeting of June 20 held in Washington D.C. Both sides underscored the necessity to create an environment conducive to the advancement of peace process.