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On October 6, the RA NA Deputy Speaker, the Head of Armenia-Lithuania Parliamentary Friendship Group Eduard Sharmazanov received the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Lithuania to the Republic of Armenia Erikas Petrikas.

Welcoming the Ambassador, the NA Deputy Speaker Eduard Sharmazanov has assessed the Armenian-Lithuanian relations as friendly and that they are developing year by year, to which the Ambassador Erikas Petrikas has also greatly contributed. Talking about recent political past of the two countries, the NA Deputy Speaker noticed that both the Armenian and Lithuanian peoples' aspiration has been great towards independence, and the Republic of Lithuania was the first country to recognize the independence of the Republic of Armenia.

Touching upon the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement issue, Eduard Sharmazanov has positively assessed the balanced position of the Lithuanian authorities and their support that is consistant with the EU position in that issue. The NA Deputy Speaker once again has noted that the Armenian side is against the solution of the problem through military means. “The problem should be solved with 3 fundamental principles: the peoples' right to self-determination, regional integrity, and what is very important – by peaceful settlement,” Eduard Sharmazanov conveyed the viewpoint of a group of EU officials.

Thanking the NA Deputy Speaker for the warm reception, the Ambassador Erikas Petrikas has gladly talked about the three years of his tenure in Armenia and has also noted that the Armenian-Lithuanian ties are actively developing, and progress has been registered in the inter-parliamentary relations. The Ambassador congratulated the Armenian people on the occasion of the 25^th Anniversary of the RA Independence and conveyed the congratulatory message addressed to the RA NA Speaker from the Speaker of the Lithuanian Parliament.

In the course of the meeting, the parties discussed issues regarding the bilateral political, trade-economic, cultural relations. The interlocutors touched upon the upcoming parliamentary elections and the growth of the trade-economic ties in the two countries. The Ambassador expressed satisfaction for the possibility of exporting the Lithuanian goods to Armenia, as well as to Iran via Armenia, which was carried out as a result of Armenia-Iran-Lithuania Business Forum.