India, Armenia discuss bilateral, regional and global issues at 11th FOC in Yerevan
Yerevan, Nov 8 (IANS) India and Armenia held the 11th Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) in Yerevan, where both sides discussed the entire gamut of bilateral relations as well as regional and global issues of mutual interest, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Saturday.
According to the MEA, the two sides also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, including cooperation in multilateral fora.
The Indian delegation was led by Sibi George, MEA Secretary (West), while the Armenian delegation was led by Mnatsakan Safaryan, Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia.
Sibi George also called on Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan. During the occasion, an agreement on Cooperation in the field of public health and medical science between the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of India and the Ministry of Health of Armenia was also signed by Indian Ambassador to Armenia Nilakshi Saha Sinha and Armenian Deputy Minister of Health Lena Nanushyan.
It was agreed that the next FOC between the two countries would be held in India, on a mutually convenient date in 2026. The previous round of FOC was held in New Delhi in November 2023.
Last month, Sibi George represented India at Armenia’s National Day celebrations in New Delhi, reaffirming the nation’s commitment to the enduring friendship with the West Asian nation.
The Indian envoy reaffirmed New Delhi’s commitment to the relations between the two nations and built upon the recent high-level engagements between the leadership of both countries.
Taking to X, the MEA posted, “Secretary (West) Sibi George represented India at the National Day celebrations of the Republic of Armenia. He reaffirmed commitment to the long-standing India-Armenia friendship rooted in history, building on recent high-level engagements among the leadership of both countries.”
In August, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his Armenian counterpart Nikol Pashinyan on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in China’s Tianjin and noted that the two nations share warm and growing ties.
Following their interaction, PM Modi, in a post on X, wrote, “Very good interaction with Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan. India and Armenia share warm and growing ties, rooted in friendship and mutual cooperation.”
Earlier in March, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan visited India at the invitation of External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar.
According to the MEA, the two ministers held productive discussions where they reviewed the whole range of growing India-Armenia bilateral cooperation, including in the areas of political exchanges, trade, economic, connectivity, education, culture, and people-to-people contacts.
–IANS
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