On Monday, June 17, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan met with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Richard Verma, who arrived in Armenia as part of the first official visit of a delegation of U.S. mayors and local government representatives.
According to the press service of the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the interlocutors discussed issues of expanding the Armenia-U.S. bilateral partnership, as well as regional developments. During the discussion of the outcomes of the Armenia-U.S. Strategic Dialogue meeting held on June 12 in Yerevan, Minister Mirzoyan noted:
"We held the second concluding session of the Armenia-U.S. Strategic Dialogue, and this time we not only emphasized the desire to enrich our cooperation with new directions but also decided to work towards a new milestone, raising bilateral relations to a new level of strategic partnership."
In response, Richard Verma stated: "Strategic partnership is crucial for the United States, and as a result of the discussions here, we want to have a clear roadmap on how we can achieve progress in key areas such as peace and prosperity, economy, trade, people-to-people contacts, and continue our cooperation at a new level."
The interlocutors discussed issues of Armenia-U.S. decentralized cooperation, emphasizing the importance of establishing and expanding interaction between regions and cities of Armenia and the USA. Ararat Mirzoyan and Richard Verma also considered the development of Armenia-U.S. relations in the context of strengthening Armenia's resilience, touching upon successful reforms in Armenia aimed at strengthening democracy and the rule of law, and the valuable support of the USA in this direction.
In the context of regional security issues, Minister Mirzoyan presented efforts to normalize relations with Azerbaijan, including the conclusion of a peace treaty. Economic and transport connectivity issues and opportunities provided by the "Crossroads of Peace" project, developed by the Armenian government, were also discussed.
