ArmInfo. In the framework of his official visit to Germany, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with Cologne Mayor Henrietta Rocker.According to the press service of the head of the Armenian government, Henrietta Reker welcomed the visit of Nikol Pashinyan to Cologne and noted that it is a great honor for her to receive the Prime Minister of Armenia at the Cologne City Hall.
According to her, in Cologne, they closely followed the events in Armenia in 2018 and with great enthusiasm perceived the success of the democratic movement, and the fact that the citizens of Armenia managed to achieve democratic changes by peaceful means. "You inspire hope to all those people who support the development of democracy in the world," said the mayor of Cologne, addressing Nikol Pashinyan.The Prime Minister of Armenia thanked Mrs. Rocker for his high appreciation and noted that he was pleased to visit the Cologne City Hall during his official visit. "We managed to achieve democratic changes in Armenia by peaceful means and implement a process that combined what seemed incompatible. We called it the Armenian non-violent velvet revolution," said Nikol Pashinyan.
The head of the Armenian government noted that at this stage the issue of transforming the political revolution into an economic revolution is on the agenda of the Armenian government so that freedom can bring people well-being. In this context, the Prime Minister stressed the importance of attracting foreign investment, including from Germany.The mayor of Cologne referred to the process of recognition of the Armenian Genocide, noting that the city contributed to this matter and the khachkar was established in memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide. She stressed the importance of continuing the process of recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide and noted that it is necessary to work on the development of a global memory policy.In turn, Prime Minister Pashinyan noted that Armenia and the Armenian people highly appreciate the adoption of the resolution condemning the GenocideArmenians in 2016 by the German Bundestag. "The process of recognizing the Genocide for us is not only a recognition of historical fact, but is also of great importance from the point of view of preventing genocides in the future. The truth must be stated to fix its condemnation. I note that the promotion of the international process of preventing genocides is an important part of Armenia's foreign policy , and the Republic of Armenia is an active participant in this process, "said Nikol Pashinyan. The Prime Minister noted that on December 9 last year, the 3rd Global Forum "Against the Crime of Genocide" was held in Yerevan.At the meeting, the interlocutors discussed opportunities for developing cooperation.
Nikol Pashinyan considered it promising to deepen ties in the field of information technology, welcoming the signing of a memorandum of cooperation between the respective universities of Cologne and Armenia. The Prime Minister also touched upon the activities of the Tumo Center for Creative Technologies, noting that he has already become a global brand: such centers operate in Yerevan, Stepanakert, Paris, they are also planned to open in Moscow, Beirut, Tirana, the issue of opening a center in Berlin Mayor of Cologne considered interesting the experience of developing information technology in Armenia, noting that she would consider the opportunity to visit Armenia and get acquainted with the technological progress on the spot.Henrietta Rocker praised the role of the Armenian community (the largest in Germany) in the development of the city of Cologne and stressed the importance of the fact that the Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Germany is located in Cologne. She stressed the importance of the signed memorandum of cooperation with the Technical University of Cologne and expressed readiness to expand ties in other areas.In this context, Nikol Pashinyan noted that Cologne takes a specialplace in the preservation of cultural heritage and offered to considerpossibility of establishing cooperation with Gyumri, the second cityOf Armenia. According to the head of government, Gyumri has a richcultural heritage, and sharing experiences with Cologne in this area can be useful.
The Mayor of Cologne welcomed this proposal and expressed her willingness to discuss the details.Nikol Pashinyan left a signature in the book of honorary guests of the mayor's office. In honor of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, on behalf of the Minister for European and International Affairs of North Rhine-Westphalia, Stefan Holthof-Pfertner, an official dinner was given.Then Nikol Pashinyan and his wife Anna Hakobyan visited the Cologne Cathedral, got acquainted with the history of this famous spiritual and cultural monument.