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On April 7 the delegation led by the RA NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan in Vilnius, in the building of the Lithuanian parliament, took part in the conference of Speakers of Parliaments of the European Union Member States, where the Speakers of parliaments of the Member States of the Eastern Partnership were also invited. In the conference the NA Speaker delivered a speech on the theme “The Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation with the Eastern Partnership Countries.”

Addressing the attendees Hovik Abrahamyan said:

“Over the last decades the role of national parliaments throughout the world has significantly increased, harmoniously complementing the traditional diplomacy. We value every opportunity to hold meetings within a parliamentary format. I am happy that we, as representatives of the Eastern Partnership member states, are granted an opportunity to jointly discuss the prospects of inter-parliamentary cooperation, as well as the challenges we are facing.

Due to the expanding links between the EU and Eastern Partner States broad opportunities have been created also for the development of bilateral inter-parliamentary cooperation and exchange of the best experience of European parliamentarism. EURONEST, the parliamentary dimension of the Eastern Partnership, has greatly contributed to deepening the cooperation between the European Parliament and the National Assembly of Armenia. You know that the Armenian side was among the first to hail the idea of establishing a parliamentary assembly within the framework of Eastern Partnership and from the very start we regarded it as an excellent forum for shaping a climate of mutual trust and full-fledged regional cooperation.

Dear Colleagues,

As you know, Armenia, being guided by a number of interests of vital importance, announced its decision to join the Customs Union. Along with acceding to the Customs Union Armenia stands ready to advance the interaction with the European Union in different areas. We are committed to continue deep and large-scale reforms constituting the core of Armenia-EU relations aimed at fighting corruption, ensuring free economic competition, increased transparency of government activity, independence of the judicial system, guaranteeing freedom of speech and strengthening civil society.

The Republic of Armenia has obtained invaluable experience during discussions with the EU, which is the basis for our future cooperation. We will try to find efficient formulas of compatible cooperation among different integration processes. Armenia was always open for cooperation in all international platforms and stood for integration processes, but never disregarding the strategic interests of the country, especially, under the conditions of closed borders and existence of the conflict.

By adopting the Joint statement with EU during the third Eastern Partnership summit held in Vilnius in November of 2013, Armenia reaffirmed its commitment to further develop and enhance the cooperation in all possible areas of mutual interest. As set forth in the Joint statement, the parties have agreed on the need to establish new legal grounds regulating the relations, as well as updating the Eastern Neighbourhood Policy Action Plan. In the feasible future we’ll start working towards a new framework of Armenia-EU cooperation.

Dear Friends,

It is my strong belief that parliamentary interaction has a specific place also in promoting regional cooperation and making the positions and approaches of the partners more perceivable. Regrettably, not all the states of the region are committed to fully engage in the Eastern Partnership multilateral cooperation framework.

Peaceful settlement of conflicts in the Eastern Partnership region is of utmost importance. At the same time one should take into consideration the specificities of each conflict and avoid using a generalized formula in treating them. The peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabagh conflict is of vital importance for Armenia. Armenia’s approaches are in line with those of the international community, which are reflected in the statements adopted by the leaders of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair states.

Dear Colleagues,

Recently we are witnessing developments in one of the Eastern Partnership states – Armenia’s friendly Ukraine, that are of concern to all of us. For centuries the Armenian and Ukrainian peoples are united by strong ties of brotherhood and friendship. We strongly believe that the Ukrainian people have huge potential to overcome the challenges it faces.

Before concluding, I would like to say that I strongly believe that we, parliamentarians, have a special responsibility for strengthening the dialogue and friendship between our peoples. We must strive for better understanding the interests and concerns of each of us, develop cooperation through an open and sincere dialogue, based on common values, which should be the foundation for our vision of the future.

Meanwhile, I would like to welcome the EURONEST Parliamentary Assembly decision to hold its forth plenary session in the first quarter of 2015 in Yerevan. I am confident that the Yerevan meeting will become a new and important destination for the promotion of parliamentary cooperation within the Eastern Partnership.”