Official: Azerbaijan’s oil cannot be more valuable than Armenians’ blood

PanARMENIAN.Net - Delegation of the Armenian parliament headed by vice-speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia Eduard Sharmazanov met Evaldas Ignatavičius, Lithuania's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in Vilnius on March 8.

The parties emphasized the importance of further consolidation of bilateral ties at the meeting. Issues related to cooperation between the countries were also on the agenda, the NA press service reports.

Touching upon the parliamentary elections in Armenia scheduled for May 6, Armenian representatives marked the will of the authorities to organize the elections in compliance with democratic standards. Sharmazanov underlined the role and experience of Lithuania in establishing democratic system of values, saying it can support Armenia on its path to integration into Europe.

For his part, Ignatavičius informed that EU Eastern Partnership summit is due to be held in Vilnius in 2013, and Lithuania will take over the chairmanship in the European Union in 2013. He reaffirmed his country's readiness to assist in the process of reform implementation in Armenia.

With regard to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement, the Lithuanian deputy minister again confirmed Lithuania’s official stance based on the three principles, peoples’ right to self-determination, territorial integrity and non-use of force. The Armenian side emphasized that international recognition of Artsakh has no alternative.

“Europe has come to realize that Azerbaijan's oil cannot be more valuable than the blood Armenians have shed for independence,” Sharmazanov said.