On May 4 the meeting of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandian and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uruguay Luis Almagro, who arrived in Yerevan on an official visit, took place in Yerevan. Welcoming the guest, Minister Nalbandian said, “Armenia and Uruguay are thousands of kilometers away, but Uruguay is very close and friendly country for Armenia and the Armenian people. Uruguay is the first country which recognized the Armenian Genocide in 1965 and it’s not accidental that the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uruguay started his official visit to Armenia by visiting the Genocide Memorial. We are very grateful to the people of Uruguay and the Uruguayan leadership for the opening of their doors and providing shelters to our compatriots - the survivors of the genocide, and thousands of Armenians live in Uruguay, for whom Uruguay has become a second homeland. We have very close and warm relations with Uruguay.” Expressing gratitude for the reception, Luis Almagro underlined that he has the warmest feelings towards the Armenian people and Armenia, the proof of which is the role of the Armenian community in the country’s life and the strong inter-governmental relations with Uruguay. During the meeting the sides had a thorough talk on the ways of the further development of bilateral relations, as well as regional and international agenda issues. The Foreign Ministers agreed to exert additional efforts for the strengthening of political dialogue and cooperation in the international organizations, the promotion of trade and economic relations and the expansion of legal framework. The settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue was on the agenda of the talks between Edward Nalbandian and Luis Almagro. In this regard, it was mutually stressed that the peaceful settlement based on the proposals presented by the mediators has no alternative. The meeting of the Ministers was followed by a joint press conference, the Press, information and public relations department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia informs.

---