1 / 2

On October 15 the RA National Assembly Vice President Eduard Sharmazanov being in Geneva on a working visit within the framework of the 131^st Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union met with Claude Hêche, the First Vice President of the Council of States of the Swiss Confederation.

The NA Vice President has highly assessed the current level of the Armenian-Swiss relations. He has stated that special place is reserved for the parliamentary relations in the issue of bilateral cooperation. The interlocutors both have emphasized the continuity of the active and effective work of the Parliamentary Friendship Groups, as well as the necessity of mutual visits.

Touching upon the NK conflict, the NA Vice President Eduard Sharmazanov has positively assessed the balanced position of Switzerland. He noted with satisfaction that in 2012 the Armenian-Swiss Friendship Group that had visited Armenia also had left for Nagorno Karabakh. The NA Vice President has noted that the Swiss MPs’ step has reaffirmed that Switzerland is the propagator of the protection of human rights. Eduard Sharmazanov has underlined that every delegation or person visiting Artsakh, has an opportunity to witness the reality of the NKR being de facto an independent state, and its people fight for the recognition of their right to its self-determination.

Referring to the Armenian-Turkish relations the NA Vice President has positively assessed the mediation of Zurich in the regulation of the relations between Armenia and Turkey. He has noted that Turkey continues to reject the efforts directed to the regulation of the Armenian-Turkish relations and to speak in the language of preconditions.

Eduard Sharmazanov has expressed his gratitude for the adoption of the resolution on the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the National Council of Switzerland. He has mentioned that the recognition and condemnation of such crimes is important for their further prevention. The NA Vice President has expressed satisfaction in connection with the installation of the monument Lanterns of Memory eternalizing the memory of the Armenian Genocide victims in Ariana Park of Geneva in the near future.

At the end of the meeting Eduard Sharmazanov invited Claude Hêche to take part in the events dedicated to the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide to be held in Yerevan.