1 / 8

“I highlight the development of the Armenian-Czech friendly relations, the cooperation on the international platforms,” the Head of the NA Friendship Group Armenia-Czech Republic Artur Hovhannisyan said about this during the meeting with the delegation led by the First Vice-President of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic Jiří Růžička.

Referring to the cooperation of parliaments, Artur Hovhannisyan stressed the need to further deepen and expand the cooperation.

Speaking about the Republic of Armenia-European Union Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement, Artur Hovhannisyan considered the turning point for Armenia a year before its entry into force: “It opens new perspectives for us not only in terms of cooperation with the countries of the European Union, but also in terms of cooperation with the Czech Republic.” The deputy underlined that the Armenian side expects the political support of the Czech Republic in liberalization of visas, taking into account that the Czech Republic will assume the presidency of the Council of the European Union. The deputy reminded that today the fourth meeting of the Council of the RA-EU Partnership is held in Brussels presided over by the RA Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan.

The Armenian parliamentarians spoke about the persons held as captives in Azerbaijan after the 44-day war. It was noted that the Azerbaijanis often endanger and destroy the Armenian historical, cultural and spiritual values in the territories under the control of Azerbaijan. The Armenian parliamentarians emphasized the importance of the support of the Czech Republic in those issues.

Speaking about the current situation in the region, Artur Hovhannisyan stated that Armenia is committed to the agenda of the establishment of peace in the region, it continues discussions on the status of Artsakh and sees the resolution exclusively within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship

Touching upon the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, the Head of the NA Friendship Group Armenia-Czech Republic thanked the colleagues for recognizing and condemning the Armenian Genocide by the Senate.

The First Vice-President of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic noted that such meetings contribute to the deepening of bilateral relations, the development of cooperation in different fields. According to Jiří Růžička, they follow the democratic process in Armenia, including within the framework of legislative reforms.

Referring to the issue of preservation of Christian monuments in the territory of the Nagorno Karabakh, the Czech parliamentarians expressed hope that the UN will be able to enter those territories and assist in their protection.

The sides discussed the possibilities of cooperation in the media sphere, highlighted the exchange of experience. The existence of free media in the development process of democracy was underlined.

Presenting the current situation in the sphere, Artur Hovhannisyan noted that the majority of the media sphere in Armenia belongs to the opposition, and now there is a problem of depoliticizing the media outlets.

The deputy Sona Ghazaryan stressed the importance of transparency of financing in the media sphere and spoke about the need for the legislative amendments aimed at regulating the sphere.

The Vice-Chairperson of the Standing Senate Commission on Media David Smoljak presented the Czech experience in the sphere, the implementing work.

The members of the NA Friendship Group Armenia-Czech Republic Sona Ghazaryan and Meri Galstyan, the representatives of the Standing Senate Commission on Media were present at the meeting.