Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Friedrich Merz addressed the media. Below are the statements of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia and the Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Friedrich Merz - I greet the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, and welcome you to Berlin. I am glad, dear Nikol, that we are meeting today. This once again emphasizes the dynamics of good relations between our countries in recent years. In May of this year, the Federal President visited Armenia for the first time. I will be in Armenia on May 4, 2026, when the European Political Community Summit will be held in Yerevan. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will be the host in Armenia. This is an integral part of my calendar.
Our close cooperation is essential in these troubled times. On behalf of your region, I congratulate you, Mr. Prime Minister, on reaching a peace agreement with the President of Azerbaijan. This is an outstanding achievement. The Federal Government has always supported Armenia and Azerbaijan in this regard.
I am pleased with the March agreement and the August agreement on transit and routes in Washington. This is critical to prosperity, peace, and development. This is a very positive signal for the South Caucasus and extends beyond the region. I encourage you to take the following steps in resolving the remaining issues between Azerbaijan and Armenia. We discussed this in detail during our private conversation, and Germany will continue to support both parties in this matter.
Today, we signed the Declaration on the Strategic Agenda for the Bilateral Partnership between Germany and Armenia. Our two countries are working in all areas. The Goethe Institute will open in Yerevan, and universities and cities are cooperating. I am pleased that several Tumo centers are currently opening in Germany, where young people can learn about innovative technologies in creative ways. We have also strengthened our economic relations; German companies are increasing their interest in Armenia because the region and Armenia are essential as a junction point between Asia and Europe. And we must use our potential. For this, framework conditions, peace, the rule of law, and free competition are necessary.
As I said, German companies study the place very thoroughly before making a significant investment. It is not so easy for small and medium-sized enterprises to make substantial investments in distant countries. Still, they are very reliable and trustworthy partners when the right framework conditions exist in a particular country. That is why the reforms underway in Armenia are significant. They are tough, we also know from our German experience, and I am sure that all this will bear fruit.
Prime Minister Pashinyan shared his vision for Armenia's development, democratic reforms, and a country and society that want to live in peace with its neighbors and build prosperity. The parliamentary elections in Armenia scheduled for June are part of this democratic development. There is a disturbing circumstance that has become natural, where the enemies of democracy are taking measures in a hybrid way, especially Russia is trying to sow some fears about rapprochement with the European Union and the West, about rapprochement of relations and spreading false information about the values of the European Union - sabotage, disinformation, drones, UAVs, in this way they are trying to spread disinformation and destabilize the situation. It will happen, of course. It is also happening in Ukraine; we see it every day in the form of destruction.
And in conclusion, this Russian war of aggression must stop, be stopped, and these days we are intensively engaged in this issue so that a just and lasting peace can be established. Germany has a clear path: without Ukraine and without Europe, it cannot decide for itself, and there should be no imposed, dictated peace for Kyiv.
In this context, we have discussed our plans and how Germany can contribute to Armenia's resilience. It is self-evident to us that we want to help address key sovereignty-related issues to strengthen security within Armenia's broader agenda. Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, for your visit to Berlin, and thank you for the good cooperation; we are happy to deepen it further.
Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan: I am glad to be on an official visit to the Federal Republic of Germany today, and first of all, I would like to thank you for the warm welcome.
This visit is truly historic, as relations between Armenia and Germany are entering a strategic partnership, as evidenced by the recent signing of the Declaration on the Strategic Agenda for Bilateral Partnership between Armenia and Germany. The relations between our countries are based on mutual respect, trust, and a common commitment to the values that unite us: human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.
With Federal Chancellor Merz, we noted with satisfaction the consistent development and deepening of Armenia-Germany cooperation in all areas of mutual interest in recent years, including trade and economic, education, science, culture, and environmental protection.
Armenia highly appreciates Germany's continued support for Armenia's democratic reforms and sustainable development, as evidenced again by the results of the Armenia-Germany intergovernmental negotiations held in Berlin in October. We discussed with the Federal Chancellor the joint steps being taken to expand trade and economic relations between our countries. Germany is one of Armenia's main trading partners in the European Union, and we are interested in further deepening mutually beneficial economic cooperation.
We attach great importance to strengthening cooperation with Germany in education and science. In this regard, we noted with satisfaction that the TUMO Centers for Creative Technologies, an Armenian educational initiative, are achieving significant success across many cities in Germany, providing young people with the opportunity to receive technological education and generate innovative ideas in an excellent environment.
We had a detailed discussion with the Federal Chancellor on pressing international issues. We agreed that, in this period of unprecedented challenges, when democracies face rapidly spreading, often hybrid threats, only through more coordinated and effective actions by like-minded countries can we strengthen our collective democratic resilience.
An essential part of my visit's agenda is establishing and strengthening economic ties. In this regard, I hope the favorable environment in and around Armenia will spur new interest among German businesspeople in investing in our country and in deepening cooperation with Armenian businesspeople.
I also presented to my colleague the key developments in the South Caucasus following the Washington Peace Summit on August 8, 2025. I expressed gratitude to Germany for its support for efforts to institutionalize peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
I also presented the broad opportunities that are opening up for the development of trade, economic, business ties, and expansion of cooperation in the infrastructure sectors in the South Caucasus, in the context of the unblocking of regional communication routes, and the importance of the efforts aimed at implementing the "Crossroads of Peace" project, as well as the "TRIP Road" communication program in this regard. These projects will become an essential node in the Middle Corridor, which is also of great importance to Germany.
Germany is an essential partner of Armenia at both the bilateral and the Armenia-EU partnership levels. In this regard, we noted with mutual satisfaction the significant progress made in Armenia-EU relations in recent years, which reaffirms the Government of the Republic of Armenia's commitment to strengthening our multi-sectoral partnership with the European Union.
The European aspirations of the citizens of Armenia and their commitment to democratic values are at the heart of the European integration process, which was also expressed in March this year by the adoption by the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia of the Law "On the Launch of the Process of the Republic of Armenia's Membership of the European Union". In this context, I highly value Germany's support for deepening the Armenia-EU partnership, and I expect continued political support for the difficult, long-term path to EU membership. I invited my colleague to participate in the European Political Community Summit to be held in Yerevan in May next year, and I am pleased that the Chancellor has already expressed his plans and his interest in visiting Yerevan.
In conclusion, Armenia attaches great importance to the continued development of multifaceted relations with Germany. Through joint efforts, we will be able to give new impetus and quality to our partnership for the benefit of our friendly peoples and states. Thank you.
The Prime Minister of Armenia and the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany also answered questions from media representatives.
