Polish President Andrzej Duda has visited Yerevan to meet with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and other Armenian officials, expressing readiness for deepening ties between Poland and Armenia.

Duda met with Pashinyan, President Vahagn Khachaturyan, and Parliamentary Speaker Alen Simonyan in Yerevan on Tuesday.

Pashinyan and Duda discussed developing and expanding political, economic, tourism, cultural, and humanitarian cooperation between their countries.

They also emphasised the need to take consistent steps to promote trade and economic ties, with Pashinyan noting that there was a ‘really great potential’ for the development of Armenian–Polish ties, which had previously not been ‘largely used’.

In a joint press briefing with his Armenian counterpart, Duda said that Poland wished to strengthen not only political ties with Armenia, but also was eager to enhance economic ties and introduce innovative solutions that would promote economic development in both countries. 

He highlighted cooperation in the financial sector, praising the agreement signed in Davos on the cooperation between the Armenian and Warsaw Stock Exchange, noting that the project of developing the capital market ‘is being successfully implemented’. 

The Warsaw Stock Exchange acquired 65% of the Armenian Stock Exchange in May 2022.

‘I would like the economic cooperation between Poland and Armenia to expand in other directions: new technologies, climate protection, green energy’, said Duda.

Duda also noted that Poland will soon take over the presidency of the EU Council and that the issue of bringing Armenia closer to the European community ‘is of great importance to us’. He expressed willingness to support Armenia’s bid for EU integration.  

Duda said Poland wanted to start discussions to restore the EU Eastern Partnership format by making some changes to it. Work through the format was suspended following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. 

He also stated that Poland was ready to support the peaceful resolution of the Armenian–Azerbaijani conflict.

‘If we are needed to stabilise this situation, we are ready at any time to seek peaceful solutions and possibilities for agreement’.

On the same day, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said that the ‘doors are open’ for Armenia's return to work in the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), a Russia-led security bloc.

Although a member of the organisation, Armenia has been boycotting most of the CSTO’s sessions since 2022, citing its failure to come to its defence in the face of Azerbaijani assaults.

Earlier this week, Russia’s Ambassador in Yerevan praised Russian–Armenian relations, saying that there were ‘no comparable real alternatives’ to ties with Russia for ensuring Armenia’s security.