YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 4, ARMENPRESS. In the sidelines of the official visit to China the Defense Minister of Armenia Vigen Sargsyan met with his Chinese counterpart Chang Wanquan on September 4. Following the official welcoming ceremony Armenia-Chinese negotiations kicked off.

In his welcoming remarks Vigen Sargsyan thanked for the invitation to visit China and for the cordial reception. The Chinese Defense Minister noted that the historical similarities and common value systems of the two great peoples are an excellent precondition for developing bilateral relations, including in the defense sphere, ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Defense Ministry of Armenia.

Preparation of military specialists and humanitarian cooperation were mentioned as directions of productive cooperation. To the conviction of Vigen Sargsyan the Armenian servicemen who received higher education in Chinese military-educational institutions become excellent officers and commanders and Armenia is ready to expand the project of preparing military specialists of China.

During the meeting the defense ministers also referred to international security issues. In the recent years China’s involvement in restricting global challenges has increased significantly. Armenia highlights those measures and expresses readiness to support them. Vigen Sargsyan noted that though Armenia is not a big country, it has a noteworthy participation in peacekeeping missions.

The Defense Ministers of the two countries thanked one another for their constructive stance on issues sensitive for Armenia and China in important international platforms such as the UN. For Armenia Nagorno Karabakh conflict is the most sensitive issue. The Defense Minister of China emphasized that his country advocates exclusively peaceful settlement. Vigen Sargsyan presented the current situation of the conflict, noting that though Armenia is consistent in its position, which is to settle the conflict through negotiations, the armed forces of the country are always ready for any development.

The sides shared the opinion that it’s necessary to increase the efforts aimed at deepening Armenian-Chinese defense partnership, particularly when there is enough potential for that. An agreement was reached to intensify mutual interactions.

Vigen Sargsyan thanked the Chinese side for assisting the defense sphere of Armenia for years without preconditions. To the assessment of the Armenian Defense Minister, that is one of the factors documenting the friendly relations between the two states. At the end of the meeting the sides signed another deal on 10 million yuan assistance to Armenia.