President of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs has lauded the Armenia–Azerbaijan initialed peace deal and expressed hope that the process would lead to regional stability and normalization between the two countries.

Speaking during his official visit alongside Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan at a joint press conference, Rinkēvičs said that the main goal of his visit is to support Armenia in ongoing reforms and the deepening of ties with the EU.

President Rinkēvičs also addressed the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, stressing that Latvia supports and highly values the steps taken by Yerevan and Baku toward peace.

“We highly value the peace agreement that Armenia and Azerbaijan are working toward, and I hope that this process will lead to the normalization of relations between the two countries, as well as greater stability and security in the wider region,” the Latvian President said.

He noted that Latvia considers Armenia a very important partner in the South Caucasus.

President Rinkēvičs stressed that, in addition to political relations, Armenia and Latvia should also take steps to promote economic cooperation.

The Latvian President expressed confidence that his visit would contribute to and further deepen cooperation with Armenia. He also praised the level of parliamentary ties between the two countries.

“Latvia highly values Armenia’s choice of the European path, and on that path we will help you as much as possible and look forward to finding new practical avenues for cooperation,” President Rinkēvičs emphasized.