EU Special Envoy to the Southern Caucasus, Heikki Talvitie, is on a visit to Armenia and the region this week.

This is Ambassador Talvitie's third visit since his appointment earlier this year. During this visit, in a meeting with Minister Oskanian on Monday, October 21, he indicated his intention to visit the region frequently in the coming year.

He indicated that he considered this visit a continuation of the discussions that took place at the Armenia-EU Cooperation Council which was held in Brussels in late September. He welcomed Armenia's abolition of the death penalty and said he looked forward to the establishment of the institute of ombudsman.

Minister Oskanian agreed that the Armenia-EU Cooperation Council was very useful and looked forward to working together more closely, especially on priority areas. The Minister also referred to Armenia-Turkey relations and prospects for their normalization.

They discussed the Nagorno Karabagh negotiations process in light of the just-concluded Azerbaijani presidential elections, and the next visit of the Minsk Group co-Chairmen to the region.

Ambassador Talvitie's delegation included Italy's Ambassador to Armenia, Marco Clemente. Italy holds the Presidency of the EU. Also in the delegation was Ambassador Torben Holtze who heads the European Commission delegation to Armenia and Georgia.

On Tuesday, October 22, Minister Oskanian and Ambassador Talvitie held a joint press conference.