Belgium’s Senate President Vincent Blondel emphasized the importance of the ongoing peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan during a meeting with Armenian National Assembly Deputy Speaker Hakob Arshakyan. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 150th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Tashkent, where Arshakyan also met Peter De Roover, President of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives.

Blondel expressed keen interest in the development and prospects of the peace negotiations. Arshakyan, in turn, presented Armenia’s Crossroad of Peace initiative, aimed at improving relations with neighboring countries and ensuring lasting peace in the region.

The Armenian official thanked De Roover and the Chamber of Representatives for their continued support of Armenia and the Armenian people, as well as for their principled stance on significant issues.

De Roover reaffirmed Belgium’s political support for Armenia and described the 2015 recognition of the Armenian Genocide as a major step. He added that Belgium stands ready to assist Armenia whenever possible.

Touching on the topic of visa liberalization, De Roover stated that Belgium is open to supporting the process, noting that the remaining issues are more technical than political.

Arshakyan also presented a draft law introduced in the Armenian Parliament through a civic initiative, aiming to start the process of Armenia’s accession to the European Union. He described visa liberalization and Armenia-EU cooperation under the European Peace Facility as key signs of progress and expressed hope for the upcoming signing of a new partnership agenda.

The parties also discussed peace efforts, the draft Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement, new preconditions proposed by Baku, and ongoing humanitarian issues vital for regional stability.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has repeatedly stated that the peace agreement draft between Armenia and Azerbaijan has been finalized and awaits signing. He has proposed launching consultations with the Azerbaijani president regarding the finalized draft. On March 13, the Armenian Foreign Ministry announced that it had accepted Azerbaijan’s proposals on two previously unresolved articles and confirmed that the agreement is ready for signing. Armenia has expressed readiness to begin consultations on the signing timeline and location. However, Baku has presented new preconditions and claimed it is still too early to set a date for the meeting.