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The delegation led by the NA Vice President Hakob Arshakyan, which includes the members of the RA NA Armenia-Syria Friendship Group Rustam Bakoyan, Shirak Torosyan and Aren Mkrtchyan, is on a working visit to the Syrian Arab Republic.

On November 13, the members of the delegation met with the Speaker of the Syrian People's Assembly of the Syrian Arab Republic Hammouda Sabbagh .

Expressing his gratitude for the invitation and the warm reception, the RA NA Vice President underscored that Syria has a unique significance and role for Armenia and the Armenian people. He noted with satisfaction the traditional warm and partnership relations with Syria, anchored on the centuries-old historical ties of our peoples, good will and strong foundations of mutual trust.

Touching upon the Syrian crisis, the NA Vice President mentioned that from the very first day of the crisis, Armenia advocated for the preservation of the unity and sovereignty of Syria and the settlement of the problem through a comprehensive dialogue.

“Since 2019, the Armenian humanitarian mission in Syria has demined almost 2.400.000 square meters of the agricultural territory, as well as provided medical assistance to more than 60.000 residents. In addition, during the devastating earthquake in February 2023, Armenia stood by the friendly people of Syria, sending about 55 tons of humanitarian cargo,” the Vice President pointed out.

During the meeting, the situation in the South Caucasus region was presented in detail, the necessity to achieve lasting peace in the region was discussed.

“I want to underline that despite all the complications and challenges, the Republic of Armenia has the political will to follow the path of peace. We consider this possible based on the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity of both sides, as well as non-use of force and threat of force. Unblocking the roads in our region can serve as a crossroad connecting the Persian Gulf to the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, which we call the Crossroads of Peace,” the NA Vice President stressed.

The Speaker of the Syrian People’s Assembly of the Syrian Arab Republic Hammouda Sabbagh spoke about the centuries-old friendship between the two countries and peoples, highlighted the role and importance of the Syrian Armenian community, from management issues to economic and cultural life.

Talking about peace, the Speaker Sabbagh emphasized that they share the importance of sovereignty, territorial integrity, as well as the principles of non-use of force and the threat of force.

The delegation led by the RA NA Vice President also met with the Head of the Syria-Armenia parliamentary Friendship Group Lucy Iskanyan and the members of the Friendship Group.

During the meeting, Hakob Arshakyan noted that he attaches importance to the role of parliamentary diplomacy and the deepening of parliamentary ties, in which the role of the Friendship Groups as the driving force of cooperation between the legislative bodies is important.

The Vice President underscored that the parliamentary Friendship Groups are an additional stimulus to the process of strengthening mutual understanding and mutual trust between the two countries, as well as to the expansion of the range of common views.

The Head of the Syria-Armenia Friendship Group Lucy Iskanyan thanked for the meeting, noting that efforts will be made to address issues on the joint agenda and to strengthen the parliamentary ties between the two countries.