On December 5, within the framework of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Valletta, RA Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan met with the foreign ministers and representatives of the Nordic-Baltic (NB8) countries.

A joint meeting in this format was held for the first time under the current presidency of Sweden. The meeting was attended by Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Stenergaard, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Bart Eyden, and representatives of other countries involved in the format.*

A joint press release was published based on the meeting results presented below.

"The Nordic-Baltic countries reaffirmed their mutual interest in strengthening relations and strongly supported Armenia's efforts to deepen ties with the EU and its European partners.

Armenia shares democratic values ​​and respect for human rights, which are the foundation of the Nordic-Baltic and European communities. The Nordic-Baltic countries highly appreciate Armenia's commitment to democratic reforms and will continue to support Armenia's reform efforts.

In the EU, the Nordic-Baltic countries expect Armenia and the EU to adopt a new and ambitious partnership agenda, in line with the European Council's October 2023 conclusions on strengthening Armenia-EU relations in all directions. The Nordic-Baltic countries recognize the OSCE's commitment to continuing cooperation with Armenia in all three security platforms.

The Nordic-Baltic countries support efforts to reach a lasting peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan based on mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, in line with the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration, and welcome initiatives, including the Crossroads for Peace project, which aims to promote regional ties and economic cooperation".

The Nordic-Baltic (NB8) format includes Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Denmark and Norway.