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On May 23, the President of the RA National Assembly Ararat Mirzoyan received the representational delegation (the high ranking officials of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency/Sida, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) that had arrived from the Kingdom of Sweden and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Sweden to the RA Ulrik Tidestrom.

Welcoming the guests in the National Assembly, the Head of the legislative body presented the reforms that started after the Velvet revolution and the parliamentary elections held in the free, fair and democratic spirit. He particularly presented details about the steps being taken towards the judicial system reforms, the transitional justice, the electoral system and the reforms in the tax and economic spheres.

“The young democracy and the further development of the civil society are of key importance for us. Undoubtedly, we can pass this path more easily with the support of the international colleagues,” Ararat Mirzoyan noted.

At the guests’ request the Head of the parliament also presented the programmes being implemented in the National Assembly directed to the strengthening of capabilities of the parliament, MPs, Staff and the establishment of the analytical and experts’ structures.

“We emphasize the transparency, accountability of the parliament’s works, the involvement of the wide layers of the public, including the law making processes,” the NA President underlined.

Expressing his gratitude for the warm reception, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Sweden to the RA Ulrik Tidestrom noted that their delegation visited Yerevan in a good time, and his country was interested in deepening the cooperation and the implementation of the assistance programmes with Armenia that had chosen a new path of development. He emphasized the inter-parliamentary cooperation in the most different formats, expressing hope that the visit of the delegation led by the Head of the parliament to Stockholm would boost the expansion of cooperation in the framework of bilateral, as well as international structures.

The Deputy Director of the Department for Europe and Latin America of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency Christina Hartler, presenting the mission of the visit, has underlined that their aim is to get acquainted with new realities established in our country, the opportunities of cooperation, which their organisation can carry out in Armenia particularly in strengthening democracy and civil society, the capabilities of the parliament and the development of economy. She highlighted the initiative of the President of the National Assembly, according to which, a platform was created to coordinate and make more expedient the efforts of the international donor organizations directed to the improvement of the parliamentary structures’ activity.

Ararat Mirzoyan expressed his gratitude to the Swedish side for the steps taken for the ratification of Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement, noting that its complete application would give new opportunities for cooperation.