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On October 14 within the framework of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly Bureau Artak Zakaryan, the Chairman of the RA NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations, the Head of the RA NA Delegation to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly had a meeting with Dirk Van der Maelen, the Chairman of the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations of House of Representatives of Belgium.

In the course of the meeting the parties touched upon the peaceful settlement of the NK issue, the Armenia’s membership to the Eurasian Economic Union and the situation existing in the region.

Touching upon the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict Artak Zakaryan has highlighted the role of the OSCE Minsk Group as the only format of the settlement of the issue, as well as has underlined the importance of the three fundamental principles of the international law: territorial integrity, right to self-determination and non-use of force or force threat.

Artak Zakaryan has also referred to the anti-Armenian policy of the Azerbaijani leadership, the attempts of the change of the format existing for the settlement of the NK issue and the adventurism of unleashing a new war, noting that such behaviour is inadmissible for Armenia.

In connection with the issue the Belgian MP has noted that being a member of the Belgian Delegation to the PACE, his attitude towards the abovementioned fact, as well as the pro-Azerbaijani position and inclination to Azerbaijani lobbing of some members of the Belgian Delegation and Belgian Parliament is negative. Dirk Van der Maelen has also added that some Belgian MPs are not aware of the content and facts of the NK issue, hence they are led by the principle that the keeping of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan is the only solution to the issue. In this regard Artak Zakaryan presented to the MP the essence and the history of the issue, expressing hope to gain the support of the Belgian side in the manifestation of more balanced approach in the NK issue, in the context of the OSCE Minsk Group’s position and also consistant with the EU viewpoint.

Referring to the RA accession to the Eurasian Economic Union Artak Zakaryan has noted that this RA integration decision is greatly conditioned by the economic and security interests of the state. He has added that Armenia has been and continues to remain a state committed to European values and is ready to continue the cooperation with the EU in all possible spheres.

At the end of the meeting the Chairman of the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations has invited the MP Van der Maelen to Armenia to take part in the commemoration events of the innocent victims within the framework of the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide in April 2015.