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On March 26, in the RA National Assembly the joint sitting of the RA NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations and RF Federal Assembly State Duma Committee for CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots was held which co-chaired Armen Ashotyan and Konstantin Zatulin.

Opening the sitting the Chair of the RA NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations Armen Ashotyan offered his condolences to his Russian colleagues for the victims who died as a consequence of the fire in Kemerovo Shopping Centre on the previous day. The attendees honoured the memory of the innocent victims with one-minute silence.

Armen Ashotyan highlighted the debate of the Armenian-Russian political agenda problems at the level of the Committees and underlined that this format of honest and partnership cooperation adds the high level of the political dialogue which exists in the relations of the two countries. “The Armenian-Russian inter-parliamentary cooperation is also at high level,” Armen Ashotyan noted, adding that during the previous two years items concerning the parliamentary and political dialogue had been already effectively discussed.

“We highly assess the whole volume of our relations with the parliament of Russia. We are ready, if necessary, to convey our political experience to our Russian colleagues which we achieved in passing the parliamentary government,” Armen Ashotyan said.

The First Deputy Chair of the RF Federal Assembly State Duma Committee for CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots Konstantin Zatulin thanked Armen Ashotyan for the warm reception and offering condolences, touched upon the Armenian-Russian inter-parliamentary relations and the political processes going on in our countries. He has highly assessed the Armenian-Russian cooperation and has noted that it effectively and sustainably develops. In Konstantin Zatulin’s word, in the past two years numerous works have been implemented: important documents for Armenia and Russia were ratified. Besides, the goods turnover grew by 30 per cent between the two countries, the number of the RF citizens visiting Armenia increased.

The member of the RA NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations Karen Bekaryan and Viktor Vodolatski from the RF Federal Assembly State Duma Committee for CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots delivered speeches The Armenian-Russian Cooperation in Parliamentary Format.

Karen Bekaryan has talked about the need of adequately responding sometimes emerging problems, in this context referring to the fact of the weapon sale to Azerbaijan from Russia which, in his word, is painfully accepted by the Armenian community. “If the problems are not solved, they tend to be expanded in the future. This is not perceived as a business in our logic,” the MP noticed.

During the exchange of the thoughts the member of the Committee Artak Zeynalyan also touched upon the problem, noting the fact of obtaining assault weapon and the Azerbaijani atrocities in April four-day war. The MP observed the issue in terms of right to human life.

Konstantin Zatulin has related to the Armenian MPs’ these observations, noting that doubts should not be that Russia is the strategic ally of Armenia. “Through many years we remain on the same positions, the rhetoric and the atmosphere of fear concerns us. Azerbaijan enters into a deadlock. We should not let the solution of the problem through military,” the Russian MP underlined in the context of the NK problem settlement.

Viktor Vodolatski has also referred to the Armenian-Russian relations, noting that they develop, however there are issues which are still incomplete. It related to the programmes connected with the youth. He also emphasized the implementation of the mutually beneficial work on the international platforms, observing Armenia as a reliable partner. Viktor Vodolatski has also talked about the idea of holding the joint sitting of the two parliaments, noting that the inter-parliamentary cooperation effectively goes on, however in terms of its further development we should work.

The sides highlighted the mutually beneficial cooperation on the international different platforms, considered necessary the implementation of the programmes which would promote the deepening and expanding of the spiritual-cultural ties of the two peoples, especially the youth. In this respect the expanding of the inter-community contacts in the two countries, also including on the parliamentary format was pinpointed. Defending this viewpoint, a decision was made to hold the next sitting of the Committees in Rostov.

Artashes Geghamyan and Vladimir Katenev delivered speeches on the theme Eurasian Integration and Popular Diplomacy.

Artashes Geghamyan related to the challenges in the world, emphasized their facing within the EEU framework. Talking about the policy pursued by the superpowers in the economic sphere, the MP considered it cold war which we should confront. He also highlighted the activation of cooperation on the inter-parliamentary platforms, related to the RA-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Cooperation Agreement.

Vladimir Katenev has talked about the volumes of the RA-RF goods turnover and the spheres of cooperation between the two countries, noting that the sphere of energy occupies a great place there. With regards to popular diplomacy he also highlighted the expansion of the inter-community cooperation and the implementation of different programmes in the two countries.

At the end of the sitting a joint statement was signed, after which Armen Ashotyan and Konstantin Zatulin met with the representatives of the mass media.