Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan Before Their Meeting

SECRETARY RUBIO: Just a brief word today. We are going to sign - are going to continue to work on the implementation of this agreement, which we think is an incredible example. On the one hand, it opens up Armenia for business and allows it to prosper economically, but it does so in a way that doesn't in any way infringe upon the sovereignty of Armenia. There's no sovereignty issue here; it's respectful of their sovereignty. It's is a great example and it's also a continued way to build our bilateral relationship between our two countries, which is very strong and continues to get stronger through these agreements outside of the TRIPP arrangement.

And we just think the TRIPP arrangement really is going to turn out to be a model for the world of how you can open yourself up to economic activity and prosperity without in any way questioning or undermining your sovereignty and your territorial integrity. And we think it's going to be great for Armenia, great for the United States, great for everyone involved, but ultimately a model for the world. And we're very committed and we're taking important steps today to continue to move forward on this.

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