YEREVAN, April 10 (Xinhua) -- Estonia opened a resident embassy in Armenia on Thursday, making Yerevan the first of five new embassies planned by Tallinn as several European countries scale back their overseas presence, local media reported Friday.
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna, who attended the inauguration in Yerevan, described the move as historic.
"Estonia, as a small country, is watching as a number of countries, especially in Europe, close their embassies, and we are opening five new embassies. And the first in this series is the Estonian embassy in the Republic of Armenia. This is our priority, because I see that you are leading Armenia towards peace, European values, and prosperity, and we want to be your friends," he said.
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said the embassy reflects Estonia's commitment to Armenia's democratic development and its aspirations toward sovereignty and territorial integrity, both bilaterally and within the EU-Armenia framework.
