On May 4, the Chair of the RA NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations Sargis Khandanyan met with the Head of the Department for Eastern Europe of Swedish Foreign Ministry Björn Linderfalk and the Desk Officer for South Caucasus Axel Lundell. The Swedish Ambassador to Armenia Patrik Svensson attended the meeting as well.
Welcoming the guests, Sargis Khandanyan highly valued the cooperation with Sweden, the development of the Armenian-Swedish inter-parliamentary relations and appreciated the importance of the activity of the friendship groups in promoting communication between the two countries.
During the meeting, both sides emphasized the deployment of the EU Observation Mission on the border of Armenia.
The Committee Chair thanked the guests for the work done within the framework of Modern Parliament for a Modern Armenia (MAP) Project and expressed hope that it will be of continuous character.
The members of the Swedish delegation were particularly interested in positive changes taken place in Armenia in recent years.
In this context, Sargis Khandanyan touched upon the reforms being carried out in the judicial system, the strengthening of democracy in Armenia, the anti-corruption strategy of Armenia and the importance of steps aimed at its implementation.
The Committee Chair reaffirmed the commitment of the RA to the peace process. He referred to the fragile security situation in the region, the process of normalization of Armenia-Turkey relations. Speaking about the illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor, he highlighted the need for an immediate resolution of the humanitarian crisis created in Nagorno Karabakh and the realization of the security and rights of the people in Nagorno Karabakh.