1 / 3

On May 30, the Chair of the RA NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations Armen Ashotyan and the Chair of the RA NA Standing Committee on Defence and Security Koryun Nahapetyan received the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee Marko Mihkelson and the Chair of the National Defence Committee of the Parliament of Estonia Hannes Hanso.

Welcoming the guests in the RA NA, Armen Ashotyan and Koryun Nahapetyan highlighted the enlivening of the relations between the parliaments of the two countries and in this context underlined the importance of cooperation activation between the relevant Committees and taking joint initiatives on the international parliamentary platforms.

Touching upon the RA external policy agenda and, particularly, the RA-EU relations, Armen Ashotyan emphasized the pre-signing of the new Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement in Yerevan on March 21, as well as the signing of the Agreement within the framework of the Eastern Partnership Summit to be held in November 2017. In this context the Chair of the RA NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations expressed hope that the RA-EU relations will go on in the constructive and effective atmosphere during the Presidency of Estonia in the EU.

In the context of the development of the relations with the European structures the Armenian party has also touched upon the issue of closure of the OSCE Office in Yerevan, noting that the exercise of the right to the veto within the OSCE framework by Azerbaijan related to the issue once again documents about the destructive policy of Azerbaijan.

Regarding the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement, Armen Ashotyan underlined the role and significance of the OSCE Minsk Group as the only effective tool for the conflict solution and maintenance of stability. In this context, the Committee Chair talked about the May 18 first targeted statement of the OSCE Co-Chairs related to the tension of the situation on the line of contact on May 15-17.

Touching upon the issue of the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide, Armen Ashotyan expressed hope that in the near future the Parliament of Estonia will undertake the launch of the Armenian Genocide recognition process, stating that the recognition of the Genocide is an important step in the prevention of the new crimes against mankind.

In his word, the Chair of the RA NA Standing Committee on Defence and Security Koryun Nahapetyan thoroughly touched upon the policy directed to the RA security, presented the RA involvement in the collective security systems. In this context, Mr Nahapetyan talked about the involvement of the Armenian sub-units in the NATO peace-keeping missions and Armenia’s membership to the CSTO.

During the meeting, the sides also discussed issues concerning the regional and international policy. Marko Mihkelson and Hannes Hanso expressed readiness for further effective cooperation with the Armenian counterparts on the European platforms.

At the end of the meeting, the parties also discussed the issues connected with the necessity of activation of bilateral visits.