ArmInfo.The official ceremony of meeting the President of the of Armenia Armen Sarkissian and Mrs. Nune Sarkissian was held yesterday at the residence of the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Bellevue Palace.
According to the Armenian President's Office, President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Mrs. Elke Budenberder met President Sarkissian and Mrs. Nune Sarkissian at the entrance to the palace and accompanied them in the lobby to make a note in the Guests of Honor Book. The national anthems of Armenia and Germany were performed by the military orchestra. Then Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Armen Sarkissian had a tete-a-tete meeting, and then an expanded meeting with delegations.
The President of Germany welcomed the President of Armenia and his first official visit to Germany. He also touched upon the recent changes in Armenia and welcomed their peaceful nature. In his speech, President Sarkissian said that he was glad to be in Germany on an official visit. "I am pleased to be in friendly Germany as part of my first official visit. Germany is a friend of Armenia, a major economic partner, an active supporter of the Armenia-EU agenda. Germany is also interesting to us as a state with a model of parliamentary governance, and the German experience of parliamentary democracy can be very important and instructive for us, " Armen Sarkissian said.
Highly appreciating the financial and technical assistance provided by the Federal Republic of Germany, as well as support for democratic and legal reforms, President Sarkissian stressed the importance of expanding cooperation in the scientific, educational and cultural fields. In particular, the field of high technologies was noted as one of promising areas of cooperation, as well as the implementation of experience exchange programs for students and researchers of the two countries. President Sarkissian invited his German counterpart to visit Armenia on an official visit. Frank-Walter Steinmeier accepted the invitation. To recall, on November 27, at the invitation of the President of the Federal Republic of Germany Frank- Walter Steinmeier, President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian arrived in Berlin on an official visit. In the framework of the visit, the President of the Republic will hold meetings with the highest leadership of Germany: Chancellor Angela Merkel, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Chairman of the Bundestag Wolfgang Schauble. The focus of discussion during the meetings will be the agenda of cooperation between the two countries and numerous issues relating to the prospects for cooperation.