Speech of the Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan at the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA)

Armenia and India in a Changing World: Strengthening Ties, Securing Futures

Honorable Acting Director General, Ambassador Pise, Dear Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is an honor to address this esteemed audience — a platform renowned for its sharp analysis and forward-thinking discussions that significantly contribute to international dialogues. I am grateful for the opportunity to exchange views with you on matters of mutual importance, as we explore the vast potential in further strengthening the strategic ties between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of India.

India was among the first countries to recognize the independence of Armenia in 1991. Only 4 years later we signed the Treaty on Friendship and Cooperation between our countries, and this year we already mark the 30th anniversary of this important document. This is both symbolic and important momentum to take stock of what has been achieved and work jointly towards more ambitious projects.

Of course, the relationship between our nations extends far beyond these 34 years. Although separated by geographical distance, Armenia has always regarded India as a close partner — a nation with which we share deep civilizational bonds and a long history of amicable relations.

Historically, our peoples have been intertwined long before modern nation-states emerged. In the early modern period, Armenian merchants in India pioneered cross-border trade and cultural exchanges. Remarkably, constitutional ideas sit at the foundation of our centuries-old friendship. In 1773, Armenian intellectuals in India drafted “Vorogayt Parats,” our first constitution, while in 1794, an Armenian priest in Madras published “Azdarar” — the first Armenian periodical in the world. These initiatives became a unique conduit for the exchange of enlightenment ideas between our peoples.

The preservation of cultural heritage and diversity remains central to both our nations. Institutions such as the Armenian College and Philanthropic Academy in Kolkata and historic churches and other historical sights across India stand as living testaments to the Armenian communities on Indian soil. Their preservation under the protective auspices of the Government of India not only underscores our mutual respect but also exemplifies our shared commitment to safeguarding cultural identity for future generations.

I would also like to highlight the unique reproductions of the Ajanta murals by renowned Armenian artist Sarkis Katchadourian, who made an invaluable contribution to rediscovering ancient Indian art for the contemporary world. Currently housed at the National Gallery of Armenia, these works represent the centuries-old cultural and spiritual bond between our peoples and remind us that art and culture are the true bridges of diplomacy.

Today, Armenia and India enjoy multifaceted cooperation that continues to evolve dynamically. The comprehensive deepening of our partnership with India constitutes a foreign policy priority for Armenia, and we view these relations from a long-term perspective. The past few years have witnessed a significant upward trajectory in our relations. I should definitely underline here that this has been possible with the personal contribution and strong dedication of my dear friend and counterpart, Dr. Jaishankar. Through joint efforts and resolute commitment, we have achieved very concrete results across numerous spheres of mutual interest, including economy, security and defense, information technologies, education, and culture.

Our collaboration and intense political dialogue has flourished through exchanges of visits and various cooperation mechanisms, including political consultations between our foreign ministries and sessions of the Intergovernmental Commission.

Our bilateral defence and security cooperation continues to expand. We welcome the first consultations held between our Defence Ministries and believe that the appointment of resident Military Attachés represents another valuable asset in developing deeper cooperation in this vital field.

While economic activity is growing, it has not yet reached desired levels. We aim to substantially increase bilateral trade volumes in the coming years, focusing our efforts on facilitating Armenian companies to establish business connections with India. This ambition formed the core of discussions during the last Intergovernmental Commission session in Yerevan, and as the Chair of the Armenian side, I am committed to prioritizing these activities by fostering institutional engagement and intensifying B2G and B2B interactions. I think our expert communities might contribute to this effort by more insightful analysis and recommendations that could bring our businesses closer.

Removing barriers to the free movement of people, goods, and services is a prerequisite for addressing the structural constraints of landlocked developing countries and promoting global market integration. Enhanced connectivity is crucial to this end. Armenia is deeply interested in advancing dialogue and cooperation within the International North-South Transport Corridor project and the Chabahar port development initiative. In this regard, the Armenia-India-Iran trilateral cooperation format is of great significance, and I’m pleased that we’ve already initiated this mechanism and started engaging in practical discussions on the issue.

Armenia and India can establish mutually beneficial cooperation across every sphere. High-tech, IT, education, science, tourism, aviation, logistics and pharmaceuticals stand out as particularly promising areas for partnership.

Tourism represents an important collaboration field that brings not only economic benefits but promotes mobility and people-to-people contacts, fostering mutual understanding. We are actively working toward establishing direct flights between Yerevan and Delhi.
Collaboration in spheres such as green energy, offers exciting prospects by leveraging Armenian potential and Indian expertise. In 2024, Armenia became a member of the International Solar Alliance, a joint initiative of India and France, opening new avenues for cooperation.
In 2023, Armenia and India signed a Memorandum of Understanding on sharing successful digital solutions for population-scale digital transformation. During my current visit, we are planning to sign a document on cooperation in the field of medical products regulation. l
As you can see, ongoing discussions across all these directions are materializing into practical agreements and new opportunities for our governments and business communities. You will see additional documents signed after today's meeting with Minister Jaishankar.

Armenia actively cooperates with India in international fora, as our countries share similar approaches to many issues of regional and global significance. We both firmly commit to international law and the principles of the United Nations Charter, while sharing the view that UN reform is necessary — through expansion, improved working methods, and strengthened prevention and early response mechanisms - enhance its efficiency, representativeness, and legitimacy in addressing evolving global challenges.

The humanitarian dimension of our partnership, encompassing educational and cultural aspects, deserves special emphasis. Approximately 3,000 Indian students study in Armenia, primarily in medical specializations, and we are exploring opportunities to enhance and expand student exchange programs.

We have successfully fostered academic collaboration with prominent think tanks, including the Observer Research Foundation, Vivekananda International Foundation, and Usanas Foundation. Platforms like the Raisina Dialogue, where Armenia frequently and broadly participates, offer invaluable opportunities to strengthen interactions with Indian partners. Similarly, the ORF and Indian officials and expert community actively engaged in our initiative, the Yerevan Dialogue, launched last year. I cordially invite you to join and follow this year's edition, scheduled for May 26-27.

Regional Relations, Armenia's Vision for Peace and Partnerships
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today, we find ourselves in an increasingly complex world. The global community faces interconnected challenges, with events in one region immediately echoing in others. Confrontations, security threats, grave violations of human rights and humanitarian crises, global uncertainties, climate change, disrupted global supply chains and weakening food security create new complexities in international relations.

Unfortunately, Armenia has been facing such challenges directly. Despite all difficulties, the security threats, Armenia is consistently working towards establishment of durable peace in the South Caucasus. We firmly believe peace has no alternative, and only agreements reached through dialogue can bring lasting stability and regional progress. Perhaps, this vision could not have been defined better than through Mahatma Gandhi’s famous message: “There is no way to peace, peace is the way.”

With this understanding, Armenia has been engaged in good faith in the peace process with Azerbaijan and today, more than ever, we are close to the signing of the peace treaty, a document establishing interstate relations between the two countries, founded on respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, inviolability of borders, and refraining from use of force or threat of force.

Importantly, last year, bilateral negotiations already led to signing of the Regulation for border delimitation between Armenia and Azerbaijan, recognizing the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration as the delimitation basis: the Alma-Ata Declaration reconfirmed that after the breakup of the Soviet Union the administrative boundaries of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic and the Azerbaijani Soviet Socialist Republic had become international borders between the two independent republics. We have successfully delimited over 12 kilometers of border and are bilaterally working towards efficient continuation of the process, which is significantly contributing to regional stability.

Within the context of normalization, we have presented concrete, mutually beneficial proposals to Azerbaijan on the unblocking of regional transport infrastructure, as a result of which both Azerbaijan and Armenia can transport goods through each other’s railway infrastructure.

Additionally, for the sake of regional stability and predictability we have put forward a proposal on mutual arms control and verification mechanism.

Unfortunately, we can not state that our constructive approach is fully reciprocated by Azerbaijan. Moreover, we continue hearing high-level public statements and narratives pertaining territorial claims against the sovereign Republic of Armenia, including through the so-called "Western Azerbaijan" narrative.

At the same time, there are still humanitarian issues, namely the pending release of the detainees. As we speak, the staged trials against 23 Armenian individuals – who are arbitrarily detained, are taking place in Azerbaijan with disregard of human rights standards for due process. Achieving complete settlement and durable peace requires preparing societies for reconciliation; unresolved humanitarian issues can only hinder that process.

Armenia has also been engaged in the process of normalization of relations with Türkiye. We believe full normalization, particularly at this point establishing diplomatic relations and opening borders, would contribute significantly to regional peace and stability. We continue this dialogue and have taken practical steps.

Armenia has successfully completed the construction and technical preparation of the Margara crossing checkpoint on the border with Türkiye. Additionally, in November 2024, representatives from the relevant ministries of Armenia and Türkiye held a meeting to review the technical requirements for border crossing on the Gyumri-Kars railway. Also, we agreed to jointly restore the Ani Bridge, a historic landmark situated on our shared border. This complements the already implemented decisions establishing direct air flights and removing barriers to air cargo transportation. We have also agreed to open the border for holders of diplomatic passports and third-country nationals, though implementation of the latter is pending. Once implemented, these agreements will benefit not only Armenia and Türkiye but the broader region, with unblocked transport routes serving as crucial factors for regional peace and stability.

Dear friends,

Recognizing the importance of opening all trade and transport communications, as you could see from the proposals I already mentioned, Armenia's government has initiated the "Crossroads of Peace" project, aimed at unblocking transport infrastructures based on the principles of sovereignty, national jurisdiction, equality, and reciprocity. The project's essence involves developing communications between all South Caucasian countries through renovated and new roads, railways, pipelines, cables, and electricity lines. In negotiations on unblocking regional transport infrastructure, Armenia envisions comprehensiveness, inclusiveness, non-discriminatory use of regional routes, and a prosperous future for all interested parties.

Regarding our other neighbors, I must highlight our friendly and close relations with Georgia and Iran. In 2023, we elevated our relationship with Georgia to a strategic partnership, formalizing what has essentially always been a strategic relationship across all areas. With Iran, we experience continuous development of bilateral cooperation based on natural interests.

Armenia maintains intensive dialogue and developing relations with the United States and the European Union. The trilateral meeting on April 5, 2024, resulted in a joint Armenia-US-EU statement. Last year also saw another round of our strategic dialogue with the United States, culminating in signing the Strategic Partnership Charter two months ago.

Armenia remains strongly committed to enhancing our bilateral agenda with the EU and deepening multilayered cooperation. We are currently negotiating the New Partnership Agenda reflecting the momentum in the Armenia-EU relations. Once completed, these ambitious partnership priorities will mark another milestone bringing Armenia closer to the EU and the broader European community, aligned with the European aspirations of Armenia's citizens. The European Union Civilian Mission in Armenia, deployed along our border with Azerbaijan, has significantly contributed to stability in border regions over the past two years, dealing with escalation risks.

Our engagement with the Eurasian Economic Union has been an important factor for the growth of trade with Russia. We are taking steps to deepen cooperation with partner countries in Central Asia, China and beyond.

Overall, Armenia's government has adopted a balanced and balancing foreign policy - an approach, if you wish, akin to India's strategic autonomy.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the partnership between Armenia and India holds immense promise and potential across all dimensions. As we navigate the complex geopolitical landscape of the 21st century, our countries stand united not only by common values and historical connections but by a shared vision for a future where cooperation, dialogue, mutual trust, and respect prevail.

Thank you for your kind attention. I would now be pleased to address your questions.