Friday, 19 February 2016
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Submits 2015 Performance Report
Chaired by Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan, the Cabinet discussed the annual performance report of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of the Republic of Armenia, which covered the Ministry’s key activities, its compliance with the Government’s action plan, priority tasks and estimated performance in 2015.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandyan reported that based on the foreign policy guidelines and directives outlined by the President of the Republic of Armenia, the MFA of the Republic of Armenia continued to work to strengthen the external security of the country, provide favorable external conditions for the development of the State, deepen involvement in international organizations and processes, enhance Armenia’s standing in the international arena, develop cooperation with friendly and partner countries etc,.
As part of the Armenian Genocide 100th anniversary, continued efforts were made to ensure international recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide, raise worldwide awareness, as well as prevent genocide and other crimes against humanity. Thousands of activities were organized around the world. Special statements and resolutions condemning the Armenian Genocide were adopted by the heads of a number of States, parliaments and international organizations.
The special liturgy and message delivered by Pope Francis I on April 12 in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome echoed and reverberated across the world. The April 24 commemorations in Yerevan were attended by the presidents of Russia, France, Cyprus, Serbia, dozens of high-ranking delegations from several countries and international organizations.
On March 27 in Geneva, the UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution initiated by Armenia on the Prevention of Genocide, under which December 9 was established as the International Day of Remembrance of Genocide Victims.
In 2015, Armenia continued with its joint efforts with the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs aimed at exclusively peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. We successfully continued cooperating with various integration associations.
Since January 2015, Armenia has been a member of the Eurasian Economic Union, which stems from the strategic interests of our country and opens up new opportunities for economic development. Owing to the talks over a new framework agreement that will become a legal basis for bilateral relations between the Republic of Armenia and the European Union, which started on December 7 in Brussels, a new dimension was added to EU-Armenian relations.
In the month of September, Armenia assumed the chairmanship of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, acting with initiatives aimed at improving the efficiency of the CSTO. In October, Armenia hosted the 31th conference of the foreign ministers of the International Organization of the Francophonie, which was attended by about 500 representatives of 80 member and observer countries, and OIF Secretariat.
According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Armenia continued to actively develop friendly relations with other countries; efforts were made to deepen and expand cooperation, including with international organizations and integration structures. Edward Nalbandian also mentioned the reciprocated top-level visits that helped deepen bilateral relations and achieve mutually beneficial agreements in the period under review.
Efforts have been made to develop relations with international economic institutions, deepen economic and trade cooperation with other countries, identify new markets for Armenian exports, encourage foreign investment, represent Armenia’s economic and tourism opportunities. We initiated and hosted meetings of intergovernmental commissions on economic cooperation, business forums, as well as exhibitions of Armenian products.
The focus of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia was the protection of Armenian citizens’ rights, including assistance to those finding themselves in emergency situations abroad: the Consular Department of the Armenian Foreign Ministry and our field consular offices serviced approximately 137,000 citizens. The applicable regulations have been streamlined to simplify consular services.
Within the framework of its terms of reference, the Foreign Ministry continued to assist the Syrian, Lebanese and Iraqi Armenians. Work was conducted in the direction of addressing the security of Syrian Armenians, safeguarding the Armenian cultural and historical heritage in Syria.
In 2015, signed were 89 international agreements and 21 documents not deemed as international instruments; ratified and entered into force 42 intergovernmental, interstate and interdepartmental documents. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs initiated, developed and had 80 draft legal acts adopted.
Appreciating the work done by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2015, the Prime Minister noted that huge efforts were made as part of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, as well as in terms of the achievements of the Armenian foreign policy, in general.
The Premier also stressed that another important task is the activation of Armenian diplomatic missions abroad in the direction of attracting foreign investment. In this regard, Hovik Abrahamyan stressed the need for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other government departments concerned to do coordinated and cooperative work.
