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Joint press statements by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg with the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, 19 March 2024. 🗣 | NATO Secretary General: Thank you so much Prime Minister Pashinyan, Dear Nikol, It’s great to see you again, And it’s great to be in Yerevan with you, On my first visit to Armenia as Secretary General of NATO. Let me start by praising your personal leadership, Your clear voice for peace, And your strong commitment to democratic values. Armenia is a long-standing partner of NATO. And I welcome your contributions to NATO missions and operations. For nearly 20 years, Armenia has been a key partner in NATO’s KFOR peacekeeping mission. Helping to ensure a safe and secure environment for all communities in Kosovo. And I welcome your increased troop contributions in recent years. Today in our meeting we discussed the importance of stability in the South Caucasus. This matters for Euro-Atlantic security as we face a more dangerous world. Armenia and Azerbaijan now have an opportunity to achieve an enduring peace after years of conflict. This is why I urge both countries to reach an agreement paving the way for normalisation of relations. And a durable peace for your people. NATO supports Armenian sovereignty and territorial integrity, and your peaceful aspirations. And Russia’s war in Ukraine is a sobering reminder that we cannot take peace for granted. I welcome your solidarity with Ukraine and invite all partners to do what they can to ensure Putin does not win his war of aggression. The situation on the battlefield remains difficult. But this is a reason to step up, not to scale back our support. If Putin succeeds in Ukraine, there is a real risk that his aggression will not stop there. And other authoritarian actors will be emboldened. Today we also spoke about the progress in Armenia’s domestic reforms. I welcome the fact that you are working to bolster democratic control over your armed forces, Including through your participation in NATO’s Building Integrity programme. You have also shown a real commitment to tackling corruption, Strengthening your democratic institutions, And upholding the rule of law. So Prime Minister, thank you again for your warm welcome, And for your work to build a brighter future for your country and for your region. I look forward to continuing to strengthen our partnership, Working together for greater peace, stability and prosperity in the South Caucasus and beyond. So thank you so much, It’s great to be here. ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ SUBSCRIBE to this channel SUBSCRIBE to NATO News SUBSCRIBE to NATO History Connect with NATO online: Visit the Official NATO Homepage: Receive NATO updates via email: Find NATO on FACEBOOK: Follow @NATO on TWITTER: Follow NATO on Instagram: Find NATO on LinkedIn: Find NATO on Flickr: #NATO #OTAN #Armenia
