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On December 13-14, the Delegation led by the Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations Artak Zakaryan visited Jerusalem and Tel Aviv at the official invitation of the Knesset of the State of Israel. The delegation consisted of the NA deputies Hrant Bagratyan, Karen Saribekyan, as well as the Head of the Institute for the National Strategic Studies of the RA Ministry of Defense, General-Mayor Hayk Kotanjyan. The RA Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Arab Republic of Egypt Armen Melkonyan and the RA Honourable Consul to the State of Israel Tsolak Momjyan accompanied the delegation.

In Jerusalem the NA Delegation met with the Deputy Speaker of the Knesset, the Head of Armenia-Israel Friendship Group Tali Ploskov, the Chairman of the Permanent Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Tzachi Hanegbi, the Political Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Alon Ushpiz, the Director of the Middle East Affairs Department at the Foreign Ministry Ariel Shafransky, the Head of Eurasia Division Zvi Rav-Ner, as well as the Chairman of the Trade Chamber Israel-Armenia Tsvi Kan-Tor. Let us note that these are the first meetings at the level of the inter-parliamentary official relations between the Knesset and the National Assembly, during which different issues aimed at the activation of parliamentary relations and cooperation were discussed.

The Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations Artak Zakaryan in the name of the RA National Assembly expressed satisfaction to the Knesset of Israel for the participation of the high-ranking parliamentary delegation in the events of the Armenian Genocide Centennial in April of this year. The necessity of the intensification of the activities of the Friendship Group was also highlighted, the idea of creating an Armenian-Israeli Forum to the Group was discussed, where the concerned organizations and individuals will be give a possibility to be involved.

The sides also touched upon the necessity of the parliamentarians’ active role in the condemnation and the prevention of the genocides. The Armenian Delegation has underlined that the MPs expect that the Knesset will express his official position on the recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide in future, and as nations that survived the genocide, the Armenian and Jewish peoples, together with the international community will continue their struggle against the prevention of crimes directed to humanity.

Thanking for accepting the invitation of the visit, the Deputy Speaker of the Knesset, the Head of Armenia-Israel Friendship Group Tali Ploskov highlighted the necessity of the parliamentary cooperation and noted that the Friendship Group will activate its works in the Knesset in future, promoting the strengthening of the RA-Israel ties and the development of the relations. During the meeting with the Chairman of the Permanent Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Tzachi Hanegbi, issues relating to the situation created in the Near East and in the South Caucasus, the problems of the security, as well as the peaceful settlement of the conflicts were discussed.

At the Armenian side’s request Tzachi Hanegbi presented the experience of the foreign relations in the parliamentary system of government, security and defense, the effective management of parliament-government cooperation over the issues of strategic importance, the control and the adoption of the operative political decisions. The possibilities of cooperation over the issues of mutual interest between the relevant committees were discussed. The Armenian side considered inadmissible the anti-Armenian campaign by Azerbaijan, the misrepresentation of the situation in the region and the spreading of false information. The fact that Azerbaijan continuously impedes the process of the peaceful settlement displays dangerous position was particularly underlined, to which, unfortunately, the deputies of different parliaments believe.

At the end of the meetings Artak Zakaryan invited his colleagues to Armenia, which was gladly accepted. During the meetings in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel the RA NA Delegation discussed issues regarding the events occurring in the Near East, the Armenian-Israeli relations, the peaceful settlement of the NK conflict and the RA foreign political priorities, Israel-Armenia possible cooperation within the EEC framework, as well as tourism and air communication.

The Delegation had also a meeting with Sevan Archbishop Gharibyan in the Jerusalem Armenian Patriarchate, during which issues concerning the Armenian community and the spiritual-cultural life were discussed. On the same day, the Delegation took part in the service offered in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. At the end of the visit the Delegation met with representatives of a number of organizations of the Armenian community in the State of Israel in the Community Centre next to Saint Nikoghayos/Nicholas Monastery at the initiative of the Reverend Father Tiran Hakobyan in Tel Aviv.