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On September 12, the Head of the RA NA Armenia-Israel Friendship Group Gagik Minasyan, members of the Group Mikayel Melkumyan, Gagik Melikyan, Gevorg Gorgisyan and Suren Manukyan met with the Deputy Speaker of Israel’s Knesset, the Delegation led by the Head of Israel-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group Tali Ploskov.

Welcoming the guests’ visit to Armenia Gagik Minasyan highly assessed the cooperation between the Parliamentary Friendship Groups. He has expressed hope that the relations formed in the previous parliament will further strengthen and develop, which is important in terms of economic and human contacts. Mr Minasyan has particularly noted that the economic relations of the two countries are not still at a level which potential we have. In this context the interlocutors highlighted the initiative of Armenia-Israel Public Forum, considering it the best platform for the development of the Armenian-Israeli relations.

The Head of Armenia-Israel Friendship Group Gagik Minasyan has noted that the Armenians have special affection to Jewish people, which is conditioned by the two peoples’ historical commonalities.

Touching upon the NK conflict problem, Gagik Minasyan has stated that Armenia is insistent for solving the conflict through peaceful means, meanwhile Azerbaijan attempts to regulate the problem through the military, and the April four-day war in the previous year was its provocation.

At the meeting the sides also referred to the international recognition process of the Armenian Genocide. By the assessment of the Head of the Friendship Group, it has not reached to destination of the historical justice. “Non-recognized and non-condemned crime opens a new door for a new crime,” Gagik Minasyan underlined. He expressed hope that the process started in Israel’s Knesset on the issue would reach its logical end.

Thanking for the warm reception, the Head of Israel-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group Tali Ploskov also emphasized the necessity of deepening of multi-sphere relations. According to her, in the last two years a lot of work has been done, the bilateral contacts have been enlivened, there are direct flights between the two countries, which is a new opportunity of cooperation.

Regarding the problem of the Armenian Genocide international recognition Tali Ploskov has noted that the members of Israel’s Knesset understand the pain: the issue of the Armenian tragedy was heard in the Knesset, and unfortunately received political colouring. In this context, Mrs Ploskov repeated the words said in Tsitsernakaerd during her visit in Armenia in the previous year: “If the world has not forgiven the Genocide, then the Jewish Holocaust cannot be.”

Mrs Ploskov has underscored that Israel defends the OSCE Minsk Group efforts in the NK conflict issue and believes that the problem should be solved exclusively through peaceful means.

The sides discussed issues of bilateral interest. The members of the Friendship Groups highlighted the necessity of deepening of ties in the spheres of economy, high technologies, tourism, agriculture and culture and the deepening of contacts between the two peoples.