India, Armenia sign MoU on cooperation in regulation of medical products

India and Armenia signed two major Memorandum of Understanding during the visit of Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, to India.

An MOU was signed between India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) and Armenia’s Center of Drug and Medical Technology Expertise (CDMTE) on cooperation in regulating medical products.

Another MOU was signed between the Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service and the Diplomatic School of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia on cooperation.

Armenia FM Mirzoyan held a meeting with EAM S Jaishankar on Monday and exchanged views on regional and global matters of shared interest.

During the meeting, the two leaders reviewed the whole range of growing India – Armenia bilateral cooperation, including in the areas of political exchanges, trade, economy, connectivity, education, culture, and people-to-people contacts.

“The two ministers held productive discussions where they reviewed the whole range of growing India-Armenia bilateral cooperation including in the areas of political exchanges, trade, economic, connectivity, education, culture, and people-to-people contacts. They agreed to explore cooperation in digital technologies, and pharmaceuticals. The discussions also focused on multilateral cooperation at the UN and other fora. The Ministers also exchanged views on regional and global matters of shared interest,” the Ministry of External Affairs stated.

In his opening remarks at the meeting, Minister Mirzoyan thanked Jaishankar for the invitation and the warm welcome received in India.

He said, “It’s always a great pleasure to have the opportunity to exchange views on our bilateral agenda and regional and global processes with you. Let me congratulate you on your cricket team’s recent victory in the ICC… it’s an important and quite symbolic event.”

Speaking about the history of India-Armenia ties, Minister Mirzoyan said, “I’m sure you will agree that centuries-old ties between our peoples traditionally mark our relations.”

He said that over recent years, the ties “have significantly levelled up” and thanked the EAM for his “personal efforts and contributions” to strengthening the relationship. He expressed optimism on the increase in bilateral interactions along with international engagements.

In his opening remarks, Jaishankar mentioned that many Indian students are studying in Armenia and thanked Mirzoyan for looking after them.

“We have a very good exchange of people, so our agenda really is to take each one of these dimensions forward, and I look forward to discussing how best we can do that”, the EAM added.

He also highlighted several international projects where India and Armenia work together. “I want to mention that we had received the parliamentary delegation led by the chairman of the National Assembly, Alen Simonyan, in December last year,” EAM added.

He gave the examples of Armenia’s membership of the International Solar Alliance, its participation in the voice of the Global South and the two countries working together at the UN.

In a post on X, Jaishankar said, “Pleased to welcome FM @AraratMirzoyan of Armenia this evening in Delhi. Productive discussions on advancing trade, investment, education, connectivity, mobility & culture. Also shared perspectives on the recent global and regional developments.”

During his visit, Ararat Mirzoyan delivered a lecture at the Indian Council of World Affairs on “Armenia-India in a Changing World: Strengthening Ties, Securing Futures Relations in the Changing World” and interacted with scholars and researchers.

In a press release, the MEA stated, “India and Armenia share warm and cordial historical ties. Regular interactions and exchange of visits at various levels between the two countries have contributed to the strong and multifaceted mutually beneficial partnership.”