The Minister took the opportunity of his visit to Madrid, invited by his spanish counterpart José Manuel García Margallo, to celebrate this meeting in the headquarters of the Club de Madrid, under the title “The Challenges of Armenian Diplomacy”. Carlos Westendorp, Secretary General of the Club de Madrid, and Carmen González, Senior Inmigration Investigator in the Real Instituto Elcano, chaired the conference.
During the two hours of meeting, Nalbandian explained that the political and cultural relations between his country and the foreign are in an expansion process, with the opening of new embassys and cultural and academic institutions.
He also addressed the two main diplomatic challenges that his country has to deal with: the relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan, very influenced by the conflict of Nagorno Karabaj. “We want to solve these problems”, the Minister clarified.
Besides, Nalbandian talked about another priority subject to his work: the Armenian diaspora. As the Minister reminded, two thirds of the Armenian population live outisde the country: the population within its border has decreased, whereas the emigrants have increased.
Finally, the Minister emphasised that their foreign relations are based on very clear values: “Among the Armenia priorities are the Human Rights, the Rule of Law, and Fundamental Freedoms”.