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On February 1 Samvel Farmanyan, Head of Armenia-Japan Parliamentary Friendship Group met with the Ambassador Takeshi Hikihara, Special Representative of the Foreign Ministry of Japan for Caucasus and GUAM, Deputy Director-General of Japan’s Foreign Ministry European Affairs Bureau.

In the course of the meeting issues concerning the development of the Armenian-Japanese economic, scientific-cultural relations, activation of inter-parliamentary cooperation were discussed. Both sides underlined that though during the past twenty years after Armenia’s independence significant moves had been recorded in the sphere inner-state relations, economic cooperation, mutual interests had been more increased, but the two countries still have big potential of cooperation, which should be called into life by the fulfillment of realistic and mutually beneficial programmes.

In terms of the development of inter-parliamentary relations Samvel Farmanyan highlighted the parliamentarians’ mutual visits and the joint discussions and asked Takeshi Hikihara to convey his invitation to the members of Japan-Armenia Friendship Group, which had been newly formed after the parliamentary elections of Japan to visit Armenia and convene a joint sitting of friendship groups.

During the meeting the issue of the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh problem was also discussed. Takeshi Hikihara assured that Japan continued to defend the problem through peaceful negotiations, the approach of the settlement within the Minsk Group framework. Samvel Farmanyan thanked for the Japanese authorities’ balanced stance.

The Head of Armenia-Japan Parliamentary Friendship Group also touched upon the necessity of opening an Embassy of Japan in Armenia, which to his assessment would more activate the bilateral relations. Agreeing with the NA deputy’s observation the Special Representative of the Foreign Ministry said that this problem was also of vital importance and had still been at the stage of discussion.

In the meeting both sides referred to other issues of bilateral interest.