The meeting of the Prime Ministers of Armenia and Qatar took place, based on the results of which a number of documents were signed

The governmental delegation headed by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan arrived in the State of Qatar on June 13 on a two-day official visit. The Prime Minister was met at the Doha International Airport by the State Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar Soltan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi.

Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan met with the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior of the State of Qatar Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdul Aziz al-Thani.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister of the State of Qatar attached importance to the official visit of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, stressed the need for multifaceted cooperation between the two friendly countries. Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Thani expressed confidence that the cooperation between the Governments of Armenia and Qatar will reach a new level as a result of this visit. Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdul Aziz al-Thani expressed confidence that the cooperation between the Governments of Armenia and Qatar will reach new level based on the results of this visit.

In his turn, Prime Minister Pashinyan noted that the political dialogue between Armenia and Qatar is at a high level, and it is necessary to give a new impetus to the development and expansion of bilateral economic ties. The Prime Minister attached imortance to the development and deepening of business ties and invited the representatives of Qatar’s business community to Armenia to discuss opportunities and prospects for joint investment projects with Armenian partners.

Nikol Pashinyan and Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdul Aziz al-Thani discussed a wide range of issues related to the development of cooperation in the fields of economy, in particular, information technologies, agriculture, transport infrastructure, trade, air communication, tourism. The sides also discussed the opportunities for cooperation in the field of education, including student exchange, science, as well as healthcare and culture. The broad potential for developing ties in all of the above areas was highlighted, for the implementation of which the Prime Ministers of the two countries gave specific instructions to the heads of the relevant government departments.

Based on the result of the meeting, a number of documents were signed between the two countries in the presence of the Prime Ministers of Armenia and Qatar. In particular, Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Hambardzum Matevosyan and Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani signed a Memorandum of Understanding on holding political consultations between the foreign ministries of Armenia and Qatar, as well as Memorandum of Understanding on exchange of news between ARMENPRESS news agency and Qatar News Agency.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with the Emir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

The Prime Minister of Armenia and the Emir of Qatar stressed the great potential of cooperation between the two friendly countries, the mutual readiness to expand and strengthen relations. The parties attached importance to the development of relations especially in the spheres of economy, information technologies, science, air communication, tourism, culture.

Nikol Pashinyan referred to the business environment in our country, noting that within the framework of its tools the Armenian Government is ready to support the implementation of possible investment programs by Qatari companies. The interlocutors expressed confidence that the official visit of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia and the meetings envisaged by the agenda will contribute to the expansion and deepening of ties in the spheres of investments and trade. The Prime Minister of Armenia invited the Emir of Qatar to pay an official visit to Armenia, which was gladly accepted.

The fate of the Shahumyan region is a vivid example of the prospect of any status of Artsakh within Azerbaijan. Human Rights Defender of Artsakh

Gegham Stepanyan, the Human Rights Defender of Artsakh wrote on Facebook that 30 years ago, as a result of repressions, attacks and criminal acts by Azerbaijan, 20,000 people of the Shahumyan region of the Artsakh Republic were deported and ousted from their homeland, more than 700 people were killed and disappeared, historical Armenian communities were emptied of Armenians and looted, the Armenian religious and cultural values of region were vandalized and destroyed.

“The houses of the Armenians were divided, and the “new masters” from Azerbaijan wrote their names on the gates with oil. The church was desecrated and turned into a sheep pen. The cross was broken, the bell was smashed with a rifle shot, and the fragments were scattered back and forth,” eyewitnesses say.

The crimes committed against the people of Shahumyan were an act of “punishment” for their free will, the realization of their right to live independently and with dignity in their homeland.

The issue of justice for the people of Shahumyan, deprived of their homeland on the basis of ethnic-religious affiliation and the restoration of their violated rights, was not clearly set on the agenda, the Azerbaijani authorities were not held accountable for the crimes committed against them. Moreover, this impunity continues to breed new crimes, which we witnessed during the Azerbaijani aggression unleashed against the people of Artsakh in April 2016 and September 2020, and continue to witness after the November 9 trilateral statement on the ceasefire.

The international community continues to show condemnable indifference to what is happening, which does not follow from the principle of the universality of the protection of human rights.