Armenia wants to expand multi-sector cooperation with Saudia Arabia following the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries last November.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, in an interview with Arab News on Thursday during his visit to Saudia Arabia, said Yerevan is committed to drafting a “road map” to develop diplomatic relations with Riyadh.

“Historically, we have enjoyed friendly relations with the Arab world, with all the Arab countries, and these relations have been based on traditionally historically friendly relations between our peoples, between Arab people and the people of Armenia,” he said.

Mirzoyan has met with his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan in Riyadh on Wednesday and was also received at the Saudi Ministry of Education and Ministry of Economy.

Mirzoyan said there is “no limit” to potential cooperation between the two countries and mentioned education, the sciences, advanced technologies, trade, investment, agriculture and tourism as just some of the sectors that need to be explored.

Mirzoyan expressed Armenia’s support for a two-state solution and ceasefire in Palestine. Last December, Armenia joined Saudi Arabia and more than 150 other countries in the UN General Assembly in voting for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. 

If necessary, and if asked, he said Armenia would be ready to act as a potential facilitator between the two sides.

“Armenia has always supported the two-state solution for Palestine and Israel, and Armenia is strongly against the violence and targeting civilian populations,” Mirzoyan said, adding that Armenia had very recently been on the receiving end of such violence.

The Armenian foreign minister said several crucial issues remain to be ironed out before Yerevan and Baku can reach a peace deal.

“The first issue is, of course, the issue of the borders and mutual recognition of territorial integrity,’ he said.

Mirzoyan said  Armenian government’s Crossroads of Peace initiative to unblock transport links in the South Caucasus could be useful for connecting, for instance, the Arab world, Saudi Arabia, with the Black Sea region and beyond.

Mirzoyan said Yerevan is indeed looking to expand relations with the West given its frustration with Moscow over security guarantees and the role of Russian peacekeepers once stationed in Nagorno Karabakh.

The people of the Republic of Armenia do have European aspirations and it is becoming more and more strong on the background of the frustration that Armenian people had in terms of Armenian-Russian relations, but not limited to that.

Top photo: Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan (R) receives Armenian FM Ararat Mirzoyan ahead of their meeting in Riyadh on April 17, 2024. (SPA photo)