On January 7, Acting Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan had a telephone conversation with Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Beybut Atamkulov, on the latter’s initiative.

Congratulating his colleague on his appointment as Foreign Minister, Zohrab Mnatsakanyan wished success to Beybut Atamkulov in that important mission. The foreign ministers of Armenia and Kazakhstan noted that there is effective cooperation between the two countries on both bilateral and multilateral platforms. The heads of the foreign political departments of the two countries expressed their readiness to take joint steps in the direction of the further development of the bilateral agenda. The interlocutors emphasized the role of the Armenian community of Kazakhstan as an integral part of the country’s society, which plays an important role in the further strengthening of bilateral relations.

During the telephone conversation, the situation in Karaganda was discussed. The foreign ministers of Armenia and Kazakhstan both emphasized the inadmissibility of attempts to make the tragedy on domestic soil an international one. The interlocutors agreed that the created situation is extremely sensitive, emphasizing the exclusion of steps aimed at deliberately diverting public opinion and creating tension. In this regard, the parties emphasized the importance of maintaining direct communication between different departments of Armenia and Kazakhstan.