The next day of his official visit to Italy, Minister Oskanian attended a the round table discussion which was organized by joint efforts of the Institute of Foreign Affaires of Italy and the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in Italy. The theme of the round table was, “South Caucasus: Stability and security of the region.” High ranking officials from the Foreign Ministry of Italy, parliamentarians, ambassadors accredited in Italy, diplomats, and students also took part in the round table discussion.

Minister Oskanian expressed his satisfaction by the results of his official visit, noting that he had come to concrete agreements with the Foreign Minister Frattini of Italy. He then presented the priorities of Armenia’s foreign policy, underlining our efforts on creation of the security system, development of the country, Euro-integration, and settlement of the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict.

Addressing Caucasian issues, Minister Oskanian pointed out the possible ways for achieving long-term peace and stability. He appreciated the involvement of South Caucasian states in the EU New Neighborhood policy, as well as the deepening of the NATO Partnership programme in the region.

The Foreign Minister stated that the European direction of the South Caucasian states, and the growing activity of the European Union in the region creates new prospects for settlement of the conflicts, especially if the states themselves express political foresight and will. Minister Oskanian also presented Armenia’s position on the starting negotiations on Turkey’s membership in the EU, presenting.

The Deputy Foreign Minister, Margherita Boniver, the Chief of the Parliamentary delegation of the Western European Union, Marko Zakkera, and prominent parliamentarians underlined in their speeches the necessity of more active involvement of the European Union and NATO in the South Caucasus. They also mentioned the role of the European Union in the settlement of Armenian-Turkish relations. Minister Oskanian answered the audience’s questions

The same day, Minister Oskanian left for Venice, where he will have meetings with the city and provincial authorities of Venice.