1 / 1

The meeting of the speakers of the parliaments of Armenia and Croatia followed the negotiations with extended members.

NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan noted that Armenia highlighted the deepening of relations in all directions. He expressed confidence that the visit scheduled to Armenia in November of this year with the President of Croatia Ivo Yosipovich would be a serious impetus for expanding the bilateral relations. RA NA Speaker highlighted the role of the inter-parliamentary diplomacy in inner-state relations, and particularly, in the process of the settlement of the conflicts. “I think that Croatia-Armenia Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group formed in the Croatian Parliament in July 2010 and the similar Group created in the National Assembly of Armenia in February 2009 will have an important role in boosting the inter-parliamentary dialogue: in bilateral and multilateral planes, including within the frameworks of the parliamentary assemblies of the international organizations,” the Head of the Armenian Parliament said. Hovik Abrahamyan highlighted the continuous nature of the political dialogue between the two countries. RA National Assembly noted that Armenia paid special importance to the possibility of cooperation with Croatia within the frameworks of EU initiatives: Eastern Partnership and Black Sea Co-Federation. “In this context we highlight the initiative of the Croatian side sounded in February of this year within the Euro-integration process on signing the protocol of cooperation between the two countries,” Hovik Abrahamyan said. “The Armenian side in principle agrees with the provisions of the presented document and will turn to the possibility of signing in the nearest terms.”

Thanking for the invitation to visit Armenia the Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Croatia Luka Bebić noted that the main goal of his visit was the establishment of parliamentary effective and fruitful cooperation. At the same time to the conviction, the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament, the visit would be an impetus for the governments of the two countries to make closer the further cooperation, as well as give further opportunity the businessmen to expand the ties and strengthen the mutual trust.

Presenting the passed path of Croatia in the process of joining the European Union, Luka Bebić said that they wished to share their experience, at the same time get informed Armenia’s strivings in that direction. The Speaker of the Croatian Parliament greeted the launching of the negotiations over the association agreement between Armenia and European Union. Luka Bebić expressed confidence that the meeting of the Armenian and Croatian parliamentarians would have its contribution in the process of expansion of further cooperation and of being integrated to European structures.

The interlocutors also touched upon the cooperation in international structures.

The Speakers of the two parliaments held the same opinion that in the economic sphere there were non-realized opportunities. According to RA NA Speaker, the considerable potential of a number of spheres of economy, including energy, agriculture, tourism, industry, transport, health care, etc are not sufficiently revealed and are not used. RA NA Speaker expressed confidence that the visit of his Croatian counterpart would be also an impetus for activation of economic relations.