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On March 13 Hovik Abrahamyan’s working visit to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland began. The delegation headed by RA NA Speaker comprises of the MPs Arman Sahakyan, Karine Atchemyan, Araik Grigoryan, Karen Avagyan, and the NA Chief of Staff Gegham Gharibjanyan.

In London the RA NA Speaker’s first meeting was with the representatives of the Armenian community. Greeting those present and thanking for warm reception Hovik Abrahamyan introduced the members of the British Armenian community Armenia’s inner-political situation and the priorities of foreign policy.

“During the last 10 years of the development of Armenia-United Kingdom relations the visit of the delegation led by me to London is the second one. The President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan visited London in February 2010. These visits testify to the readiness of the Armenian side to more develop the bilateral relations with the United Kingdom as an important player in the international arena. I am glad that I am here, and I see my mission through the rapprochement of the inter-parliamentary relations promoting the development of the inner-state relations, for which there is considerable potential. It refers to political, as well as trade-economic spheres. The already formed cultural rich agenda and the programmes being implemented in all spheres should be an additional lever for initiating mutual visits and constructive steps,” Hovik Abrahamyan said.

The NA Speaker noted that the Republic of Armenia adhered the fulfillment of its obligations assumed in the international instances, and today the political team of Armenia headed by the President of the Republic Serzh Sargsyan displays political will and principality in the implementation of all obligations assumed by our country. “Today Armenia is able to defend its independence, and is a reliable partner in the international arena,” Hovik Abrahamyan stressed. The NA Speaker noted that the European integration is one of the priorities of Armenia’s foreign policy, and that process turned into new qualitative, launching the process of signing the association agreement with Euro-integration.

Touching upon the NK problem, the head of the parliament noted: “Today, the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh is an established state with all its institutes and symbols characteristic to all independent states. This is a reality, and nobody, moreover Azerbaijan, can take into account this reality. The Armenian side is willing to solve the issue only through peaceful way by the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group based on the principles of the nations’ self-determination, territorial integrity and non-use of force. And the bellicose announcements sounding at the highest level in Azerbaijan, the unprecedented growth of Azerbaijan’s military expenses increasing at the price of oil dollars, are a matter of concern. This is the grossest violation of all obligations assumed before the international community by Azerbaijan. Armenia has a fighting army, and can defend its borders and land, ensure the security of the country and the people,” the head of the parliament. According to Hovik Abrahamyan, the parliament actively uses its levers for forming an objective opinion abroad on the problem. In the European structures the Armenian delegations actively work, provide necessary information in order the foreign MPs form right picture on Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh, mutual visits, contacts are organized with foreign partners. The NA Speaker noted that last year as a result of agreements reached during the meetings within the framework of his visit to the European Parliament, MPs representing different factions of the European Parliament visited Armenia and the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh and got acquainted with the situation on the spot and specified their stances on the basis of objective information. Visits with other MPs, contacts with counterparts are scheduled, and the possibilities of parliamentary diplomacy are actively used.

Referring to the Armenian-Turkish relations, the NA Speaker noted that the brave initiative of the President of the Republic of Armenia to improve the relations with the neighbouring Turkey failed because of Turkey. Immediately after signing the Zurich protocols preconditions were brought forth by Turkey, about which there was nothing said during the ongoing negotiations before the signing ceremony of the protocols, and though the Armenian side was ready to ratify the protocols, including the issue in the agenda of the National Assembly, the President of the Republic had to take back the issue from the agenda of the National Assembly and freeze the process because of Turkey’s groundless speculations. “If it goes about preconditions, then I think it’s indisputable that the Armenian side has more moral grounds to introduce preconditions to the Turkish side.” “Regarding the process of international recognition of the Armenian Genocide, it is not only of moral big importance, but it will also prevent the repetition of a genocide with its different manifestations in any corner of the world,” the NA Speaker said.

The NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan also gladly answered our compatriots’ numerous questions, which related to Armenia’s Euro-integration process, the inner-political developments, economy, parliamentary diplomacy, the development of rural settlements, the issue of the possibility of creating bi-cameral parliament was not also overturned.

On March 14 the delegation led by the NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan will have meetings in the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland with the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Speaker of the House of Lords Baroness Hayman, the members of the British-Armenian Co-Party Parliamentary Group, and will take part in the plenary session of the House of Lords.