Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, met with President of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping, in Tianjin.
The President of the People's Republic of China welcomed the visit of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia and his participation in the SCO+ format meeting of the SCO Summit. Xi Jinping valued the centuries-old friendly relations between the two countries and added that bilateral cooperation is experiencing steady development. He stressed that the People's Republic of China unconditionally supports the political independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia. At the same time, the President of the People's Republic of China stressed that China supports the Armenian Government's "Crossroads of Peace" project and the unblocking of regional communication routes. Xi Jinping welcomed the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Touching upon the prospects for the development of bilateral relations, he highlighted the active activities of the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation with Armenia, emphasizing that it should fully reveal the potential of bilateral economic cooperation and take consistent steps to realize it.
Prime Minister Pashinyan expressed gratitude for the warm hospitality. Nikol Pashinyan added that the high level of political dialogue established between the two countries is also reflected in the mutual support on issues of mutual importance. According to the Prime Minister, Armenia reaffirms its support for the "One China" principle. The Head of State attached importance to the implementation of the "Crossroads of Peace" program developed by the RA Government aimed at enhancing both regional and interregional stability and integration, and noted that it can best be linked to China's "Belt and Road" initiative, to which Armenia was one of the first to join officially.
According to Nikol Pashinyan, high-level bilateral relations will develop and strengthen in a new way as a result of today's meeting. The Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia expressed hope that the level of trade and economic cooperation will consistently increase, and new joint investment projects will be implemented. The Head of State emphasized that the Government of the Republic of Armenia is interested in expanding investment projects by Chinese companies in the Republic of Armenia.
Following the meeting, the parties announced the establishment of a strategic partnership between Armenia and China, as outlined in a joint statement.
During the meeting, the leaders of the two countries also emphasized the importance of promoting cooperation in science, education, culture, tourism, information, metrology, and other areas.
Nikol Pashinyan reaffirmed Armenia's desire to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. An agreement was reached to deepen cooperation within the framework of the SCO.
