Armenia and China Establish Strategic Partnership

A meeting between the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, and the President of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping, took place in the city of Tianjin.

The President of the PRC welcomed the visit of the Prime Minister of the RA and his participation in the SCO+ format meeting of the SCO summit. Xi Jinping valued the centuries-old friendly relations between the two countries and added that bilateral cooperation is experiencing stable development. He stressed that the PRC unconditionally supports the political independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia.

At the same time, the President of the PRC emphasized that China supports the "Crossroads of Peace" project of the RA Government and the unblocking of regional communication routes. Xi Jinping welcomed the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Referring to the prospects for the development of bilateral relations, he highlighted the active work of the intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation with Armenia, emphasizing that it should fully reveal the potential of bilateral economic cooperation and take consistent steps to realize it.

Prime Minister Pashinyan expressed his gratitude for the warm hospitality. Nikol Pashinyan added that the high level of political dialogue established between the two countries is also reflected in the mutual support on issues of importance to each other. According to the Prime Minister, Armenia reaffirms its support for the "One China" principle.

The head of the country emphasized the implementation of the "Crossroads of Peace" program, developed by the RA Government to enhance both regional and inter-regional stability and integration, and noted that it could be best linked with China's "Belt and Road" initiative, which Armenia was one of the first to officially join.

According to Nikol Pashinyan, the high-level bilateral relations will be newly developed and strengthened as a result of today's meeting. The Prime Minister of the RA expressed hope that the level of trade and economic cooperation will consistently increase, and new joint investment projects will be implemented. The head of the country stressed that the RA Government is interested in expanding investment projects by Chinese companies in the RA.

Following the meeting, the parties announced that a strategic partnership is being established between Armenia and China, about which a joint statement is being adopted.

During the meeting, the leaders of the two countries also emphasized the promotion of cooperation in the fields of science, education, culture, tourism, information, metrology, and other areas.

Nikol Pashinyan reaffirmed Armenia's desire to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. An agreement was reached to deepen cooperation within the SCO framework.