Armenian, US officials discuss expanding strategic partnership

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan met with US Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Richard Verma on June 17, marking the first official visit by a delegation of US mayors and local self-government representatives to Armenia.

The discussions focused on expanding the Armenian-US bilateral partnership and addressing regional developments, Caliber.Az reports citing Armenian media.

During the meeting, Minister Mirzoyan highlighted the recent Armenia-US strategic dialogue session held in Yerevan on June 12. "As you know, we held the second concluding session of the strategic dialogue between Armenia and the USA, and this time we have not only emphasized the desire to enrich our cooperation in new directions but also decided to work towards a new milestone, raising bilateral relations to a new level of strategic partnership," Mirzoyan stated. "Thus, we are moving in the right direction, we have tangible results, and we will discuss more."

Richard Verma expressed the importance of the strategic partnership to the United States. "The strategic partnership is very important to the United States, and as a result of the discussions here, we want to have a clear roadmap on how we can make progress in key areas such as peace and prosperity, the economy, trade, people-to-people contacts, and continuing our cooperation toward a new level," Verma responded.

The meeting also covered Armenian-American decentralized cooperation, emphasizing the establishment and expansion of ties between Armenian regions and cities and their US counterparts. According to the Armenian Foreign Ministry, both parties discussed strengthening Armenia's resilience, focusing on reforms to enhance democracy and the rule of law, with significant support from the United States.

Minister Mirzoyan briefed Verma on Armenia's efforts to normalize relations with Azerbaijan, including the signing of a peace treaty. They also discussed economic and transport communication issues, as well as opportunities presented by the "Crossroads of Peace" project initiated by Armenia.