News - Nikol Pashinyan and Friedrich Merz have made statements to the media.

The Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, and the Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Friedrich Merz, made statements for media representatives. The Armenian government’s press service presented the statements by the Armenian prime minister and the German chancellor. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz – Ladies and Gentlemen, I welcome Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, welcome to Berlin. Dear Nikol, I am glad we are meeting today. This once again emphasizes the good dynamic of relations between our countries in recent years. In May this year the Federal President visited Armenia, and for the first time the German president visited Armenia. I will probably be in Armenia soon as well; on May 4, 2026, the European Political Community summit will be held in Yerevan. The host will be Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Armenia. This is part of my calendar as well. Our close cooperation is very important in these unsettled times. Regarding your region, I wholeheartedly congratulate you, Mr. Prime Minister, that you and the Azerbaijani president managed to reach an agreement on a peace accord. That is a major achievement. The Federal Government has consistently supported Armenia and Azerbaijan on this issue. I am glad about the March agreement and the August agreement in Washington, also concerning transit and routes. This is very important for prosperity, peace, and development. It is a positive signal for the South Caucasus, one that reaches beyond this region. I urge you to take the next steps to resolve the remaining issues between Azerbaijan and Armenia. In our private talks we discussed this in detail, and Germany will continue to support both sides on this matter. Ladies and Gentlemen, Today, in this sense and within this context, we signed the declaration of the strategic partnership agenda between Germany and Armenia. Our two countries are working in all areas. In Yerevan the Goethe-Institute will be opened; universities and cities are cooperating. I am glad that in Germany several “TUMO” centers are opening, where young people will creatively explore and learn about innovative technologies. We have also intensified our relations in the economic field; German companies are increasing their interest in Armenia, because the region and Armenia are important as a hub between Asia and Europe. And we must use our potential. For that, we need framework conditions and peace, the rule of law, and free competition. German companies, as I noted, conduct very thorough due diligence before making large investments. For small and medium-sized enterprises, it is not always easy to undertake large investments in distant countries, but they are very reliable and trustworthy partners when they see the right framework conditions in a given country. That is why reforms taking place in Armenia are very important. They are very challenging; we know this from our German experience, and I am confident that all of this will bear fruit. Ladies and Gentlemen, Prime Minister Pashinyan told me what his vision for Armenia’s development and democratic reforms is—about the country and society that wants to live peacefully with its neighbors and build prosperity. Such democratic development includes the parliamentary elections that will take place in June in Armenia. There is a disturbing factor that has become natural, where democracy’s enemies use hybrid means; especially Russia is trying to spread fears about deeper ties and closer relations with the European Union and the West, and to spread false information about EU values—sabotage, disinformation, drones, UAVs—thereby attempting to spread misinformation and destabilize the situation. This will happen, of course. We also see this happening in Ukraine, with daily signs of destruction. And finally I would like to say that the Russian aggressive war must stop, and we are actively working on this to establish a just and lasting peace. Germany has a clear policy: without Ukraine and without Europeans, it is not possible to make decisions about their own fate, and there must not be a coerced, dictated peace for Kyiv. Ladies and Gentlemen, In this context we discussed our plans and how Germany can contribute to Armenia’s resilience. It is self-evident that we want to help with fundamental issues related to sovereignty, strengthening Armenia’s security within a broader agenda. Thank you, Chancellor Berlin, for your visit and for good cooperation, and we look forward to deepening it. Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia – Excellency Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Honorable participants, I am pleased to be visiting the Federal Republic of Germany today on an official visit and, first of all, I would like to thank you for the warm welcome. This visit is truly historic, because today relations between Armenia and Germany are entering a phase of strategic partnership, which was recently recorded by the signing of the Declaration on the Strategic Agenda for Bilateral Partnership between Armenia and Germany. Our relations are based on mutual respect, trust, and a shared commitment to values that unite us—human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. With pleasure we noted the sustained development and deepening of Armenia–Germany cooperation across all areas of mutual interest, including trade and economy, education, science, culture, and environmental protection, in recent years. Armenia highly appreciates Germany’s ongoing support for Armenia’s democratic reforms and sustainable development, which was reaffirmed by the results of the Armenia–Germany intergovernmental negotiations held in Berlin in October. We discussed with the Federal Chancellor steps to expand our trade and economic relations. Germany is one of Armenia’s main trading partners in the European Union (the first), and we are eager to deepen mutually beneficial economic cooperation. We highlighted the actively developing cooperation with Germany in education and science. In this regard we noted with satisfaction that Armenian educational initiatives such as the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies are achieving great success in many German cities, providing young people with an excellent environment to receive technological education and to generate innovative ideas. With the Chancellor we had a thorough discussion on urgent issues on the international agenda. We agreed that in this era of unprecedented challenges, where democracies face rapidly spreading and often hybrid threats, only through the concerted and more systematic actions of like-minded countries can we strengthen our collective democratic resilience. A key item on my visit agenda is the creation and strengthening of economic ties. I am hopeful that Armenia’s favorable environment will attract new interest from German business people to invest in our country and to deepen cooperation with Armenian enterprises. I also presented to my colleague the pivotal developments in the South Caucasus since the Washington Peace Summit on August 8, 2025, and thanked Armenia and Azerbaijan for their efforts toward peace institutions with Germany’s support. I also outlined the broad opportunities for expanding trade, economic ties, and infrastructure cooperation within the framework of unblocking regional connectivity corridors in the South Caucasus, and stressed the importance of launching the “Peace Crossroads” project and the “TRIP route” connectivity program. I am confident these projects will become key nodes for the Middle Corridor, which is of great importance to Germany as well. Honorable participants, Excellency Chancellor, Germany is an important partner for Armenia both on a bilateral level and within the Armenia–European Union partnership. In this regard we noted with satisfaction the significant progress in Armenia–EU relations in recent years, which confirms the Armenian government’s commitment to deepening our multifaceted partnership with the EU. The process of Euro- integration in Armenia is gaining momentum, rooted in the European aspirations of Armenian citizens and their commitment to democratic values, which this year was also expressed by Armenia’s parliament through the adoption of the law on launching the process of Armenia’s accession to the European Union in March. In this context I greatly value Germany’s support for deepening Armenia–EU partnership and I look forward to continued political support on the long, complex road toward the EU. I invited my colleague to participate in next year’s European Political Community summit to be held in Yerevan in May, and I am glad the Chancellor has already emphasized his plans and the possibility of visiting Yerevan next year. Your Excellency, Mr. Merz, In conclusion, I must reaffirm that Armenia highly values the continued development of multilateral relations with Germany. I am confident that through our joint efforts we can bring new energy and quality to our partnership for the benefit of our friendly peoples and states. Thank you. The Prime Ministers of Armenia and the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany have also answered questions from media representatives.