Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili with OSCE PA delegation.COPENHAGEN, 10 May 2013 – OSCE PA Special Representative on South Caucasus Joao Soares (Portugal) today is in Armenia, the last country in a series of visits he is making to high-level officials throughout the region.

Soares was in Georgia earlier in the week joined by PA President Wolfgang Grossruck. In Tbilisi, the PA delegation met with President Mikheil Saakashvili and Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, Speaker of Parliament David Usupashvili, OSCE PA Vice-President George Tsereteli and other Georgian OSCE PA members.

Members discussed the political and economic situation in Georgia, the 2013 presidential election, protracted conflicts in the region, and Georgian-Russian relations.

In Armenia, Soares met with Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian, Speaker of Parliament Hovik Abrahamyan, and Artashes Geghamyan, head of the Armenian delegation to the OSCE PA. The special representative used the visit to continue discussions about developments in the region, particularly focusing on democratic reforms and unresolved conflicts.

Saturday, Soares will conclude his week-long visit to the region meeting with presidential candidates and representatives of political parties and NGO's.

The three-country tour began in Azerbaijan last Sunday when Soares met with President Ilham Aliyev in Baku. They discussed issues related to the 2014 Annual Session, regional and economic developments, the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh as well as bilateral relations between Portugal and Azerbaijan.

In Azerbaijan, Soares also met with the Speaker of Parliament, the OSCE PA Delegation headed by Bahar Muradova, and other officials. In addition, Soares met the Head of the OSCE Office in Baku, Ambassador Koray Targay, and chaired a roundtable with representatives of civil society. With the support of the OSCE Office, he also held a meeting with high-level representatives of political parties in Azerbaijan.

Deputy Secretary General Tina Schoen and Secretary of the Portuguese Delegation Nuno Paixao have traveled with Soares to all the three countries.