On July 16, Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts held a phone conversation with his counterpart from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy Manilo di Stefano

Avet Adonts presented to his Italian counterpart the situation along the northeastern sector of the Armenian-Azerbaijani state border due to the use of force by Azerbaijani armed forces as well as continuous aggression of Azerbaijan against the civilian infrastructure and population. In this regard, the Deputy Foreign Minister also condemned the biased and provocative statement of the Foreign Ministry of Turkey.

Manlio Di Stéfano underscored that Italy remains of the view that such issues should be resolved exclusively through negotiations. Manlio Di Stéfano stressed that in the statement issued by the Italian Foreign Ministry, Italy called on the sides to refrain from further escalation, return to constructive negotiations and resolve the issue within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship exclusively through peaceful negotiations. He added that Armenia can expect full support of Italy in this regard.

Both sides commended the current level of bilateral relations and the prospects of their further deepening. Avet Adonts and Manlio Di Stefano presented the situation due to the pandemic in Armenia and Italy, the measures undertaken by governments aimed at overcoming it and improving the social-economic situation. In this context, Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts expressed his gratitude to Italian authorities for the assistance and the mission of medical workers provided to Armenia within the fight against the pandemic.

The interlocutors also exchanged views on a number of other issues of mutual interest.