State Secretary Andreja Metelko-Zgombić held reciprocal political consultations with Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan in Yerevan on November 7, 2025, following the previous round of consultations held in Zagreb in 2021.
Bilateral political relations have been marked by increasing engagement at the level of foreign ministers over the past two years, and the Armenian side expressed its expectation of an upcoming visit by the Croatian prime minister, which would represent the first visit of this level to Armenia.
Bilateral relations hold potential for further strengthening and deepening cooperation, particularly in the fields of economy and trade, as well as in innovative technologies, demining, agriculture, healthcare, energy, tourism, culture, and defence. Among other initiatives, the launch of a demining project financed through an EU fund, involving a Croatian company, was proposed.
Discussions also covered the strengthening of EU-Armenia relations, especially through the new Partnership Agenda accompanied by a Growth and Reform Plan for Armenia worth 270 million euros. Croatia expressed interest in sharing expertise in implementing reforms and in building public administration capacities through the European Commission’s Twinning and TAIEX programs, as well as exchanging experiences concerning border issues, missing persons, and refugees resulting from war.
The Armenian side presented plans for hosting the eighth European Political Community Summit in May 2026. The state secretary congratulated Armenia on taking on this responsibility and on choosing regional connectivity as the central theme of the summit. She noted that this would reaffirm Armenia’s growing ties with the EU and, at the same time, contribute to emphasizing the importance of the South Caucasus in the implementation of the Middle Corridor.
The discussions also addressed the situation in the South Caucasus, the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan following the signing of the Washington Declaration in August 2025, and progress in relations with neighbouring Turkey. The normalization process is expected to contribute to stability and economic development, particularly through securing regional connectivity, where Armenia counts on the support of the European Union and the United States. The parties also exchanged views on broader regional relations, with the state secretary presenting Croatia’s cooperation with the countries of Southeast Europe.
She invited Kostanyan to the next round of bilateral consultations in Croatia.
Metelko-Zgombić also met with the Chair of the Standing Committee on European Integration of the National Assembly of Armenia, Armen Yeghoyan, and committee members Sona Ghazaryan, Tatevik Gasparyan, and Elinar Vardanyan. Both sides expressed interest in strengthening parliamentary cooperation, and the Armenian side voiced interest in learning from Croatia’s experience in the field of European integration.
During her visit to Yerevan, the state secretary met with the Head of the EU Delegation, Vassilis Maragos, and visited the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies to discuss potential avenues of cooperation. She also visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial Museum and the Matenadaran Museum, which houses one of the world’s largest collections of ancient manuscripts and illustrations. The state secretary presented the museum with a Croatian translation of
The Book of Lamentations by Gregory of Narek, one of the greatest medieval Armenian and Christian theologians, mystics, and philosophers. The Croatian translation is the second in the world after the English version.
Metelko-Zgombić also met with Croatia’s Honorary Consul in the Republic of Armenia, Artashes Kazakhetsyan, a distinguished entrepreneur who has held this position since 2011 and who actively contributed to the successful organization of the Croatian delegation’s visit.
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