BRUSSELS, SEPTEMBER 17, NOYAN TAPAN. Vardan Oskanian, the RA Minister of Foreign Affairs, has taken part in the solemn starting ceremony of the restoration work of the Villa Empain Palace in the diplomatic district of Brussels on the invitation of the "Poghosian Fund" on September 13. According to the information provided to Noyan Tapan by the Press and Information Department of the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the cultural center of East and West will be founded there on the initiative of the "Poghosian Fund." Jan Poghosian (Belgium) and Albert Poghosian (Switzerland), the founders of the "Poghosian Fund", as well as Armand de Decker, the President of the Belgian Senate, made speeches during the ceremony. The latter spoke about the investment of Armenians in the world cultural heritage, as well as about the role of Villa Empain in the architectural and social history of Brussels. Vardan Oskanian made a closing speech concluding the official part of the ceremony and the importance of the initiative of the "Poghosian Fund", particularly from the point of view of the Armenian tradition on connecting civilizations and cultures, made the pivotal part of his speech. On the next day, on September 14 Minister Oskanian had a meeting with the leading intellectuals and the representatives of political institutions on the invitation of the "Heinrich Boll" foundation of Brussels. The Minister introduced them the challenges of the foreign policy of Armenia, the regional problems, and the bilateral relations of Armenia with neighbors. Vardan Oskanian also touched upon the current state of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and the European integration process of Armenia.

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