§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the outcome of his discussions with the Armenian Foreign Minister. [78035]
§ Ms QuinMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State met the Armenian Foreign Minister, Mr. Vartan Oskanian, on 17 March. Their discussions helped to cement the already warm relations which exist between the two countries. They agreed on the need further to promote our growing bilateral commercial ties. The meeting also covered the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh and other regional issues. My right hon. Friend looked forward to free and fair parliamentary elections in May. He encouraged Armenia to sign the Ottawa convention on anti-personnel landmines and stressed the importance of keeping to the timetable for closing the Medzamor nuclear power station.