YEREVAN, JANUARY 7, ARMENPRESS. On January 7, on the initiative of the Kazakhstan side, the Acting Foreign Minister of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan had a phone  conversation with Beibut Atamkulov, the Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan, the foreign ministry told Armenpress.

Zohrab Mnatsakanyan congratulated his counterpart upon his appointment, wishing him all the success in his important mission. The counterparts commended the existing efficient cooperation between the two countries both in bilateral and multilateral platforms.

The Foreign Ministers expressed their readiness to take joint actions aimed at the further expansion of bilateral agenda. The interlocutors highlighted the important role of the Armenian community of Kazakhstan as an integral part of the society, which plays an important part in strengthening bilateral relations between Armenia and Kazakhstan.

During the conversation the Foreign Ministers touched upon the situation unfolded in Karaganda. The Foreign Ministers highlighted the inadmissibility of attempts to give an interethnic connotation to the tragedy.

The interlocutors shared the view that the current situation is very sensitive and emphasized the necessity of excluding steps aimed at creating tension and deliberately manipulating public opinion. In this regard the counterparts stressed the importance of maintaining direct contact between different government agencies of Armenia and Kazakhstan.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan