DONOSTIA, Basque Autonomous Community, Spain—Artsakh’s Foreign Minister Karen Mirzoyan met with the Mayor of the Basque city of Donostia (San Sebastian in Spanish) Juan Carlos Izagirre Hortelano.

 

During the meeting the sides exchanged views on the prospects of establishing and developing friendly and mutually beneficial working relationships between Stepanakert and Donostia.

As a result of the meeting, an agreement on cooperation was signed between the cities of Stepanakert and Donostia.

The Agreement states that the sides will conduct exchanges and cooperation in various spheres on the basis of principles of equality and mutual benefit.

Under the agreement, regular contacts will be maintained between the cities and their relevant structures to discuss cooperation issues as well as other matters of mutual interest.

Donostia is the capital of the Gipuzkoa province and one of the famous tourism centers of the country. The city is also famous for its film festivals. The European Union declared the city of Donostia the European Capital of Culture 2016.

Karen Mirzoyan also visited the city of Tolosa, in the Basque Country, where he met with Mayor Ibai Iriarte San Vicente.

During the meeting, the sides exchanged views on the prospects for decentralized cooperation between Artsakh and the Basque Country in a range of spheres. In this context, issues related to the possibility of establishing relations between the city of Tolosa and the cities of Artsakh were touched upon. A number of practical arrangements were achieved.

The city of Tolosa is also in the province of Gipuzkoa, situated in the Oria River valley. It was founded in 1256. Currently, the city has 15,000 citizens. It is one of the most important cultural and historical centers of the Basque Country. In the 19th century, Tolosa was the capital of the Basque Country.

The Basque Country’s parliament adopted a resolution last week recognising Artsakh’s right to self-determination. Foreign Minister Mirzoyan was invited to visit the region on that occasion.