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On January 29, the parliamentary delegation led by the Speaker of the RA National Assembly Ara Babloyan, comprised of the RA NA Deputy Speaker Eduard Sharmazanov, the NA deputies Marina Margaryan, Aram Sargsyan and Armenuhi Kyureghyan met with the Speaker of the National Council of the Republic of Slovakia Andrej Danko within the framework of their official visit to Bratislava.

Thanking Andrej Danko for the reception at high level, Ara Babloyan congratulated him on the occasion of the 25^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Slovakia, noting that during this period warm ties had been formed between the two countries based on cooperation in different spheres and political dialogue. The RA NA Speaker particularly said: “In 2018 Slovakia marks the 100^th anniversary of the First Republic of Czechoslovakia. I congratulate you on the occasion of this well-known anniversary and wish welfare and happiness. It is symbolic that this year also sees the 100^th anniversary of the First Republic of Armenia. Our people, 1.5 of which had fallen victims of 1915 Genocide, only after three years, in 1918 found strength to restore its statehood that had been ruined through centuries.”

In the course of the meeting the sides discussed issues concerning the further cooperation of the two countries which related the whole circle of the inter-state relations, including the parliamentary dialogue. In further boosting the cooperation between the legislative bodies the active cooperation of the parliamentary Friendship Groups was highlighted.

The parties also touched upon the bilateral and multilateral cooperation within the framework of different international and inter-parliamentary organizations.

Talking about recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide the interlocutors documented that it was a crime directed against the whole mankind, and the recognition and the condemnation of such crimes is important for their further prevention. The RA National Assembly President has stated that Slovakia is one of the countries that its parliament, besides recognizing and condemning the Armenian Genocide also set out articles criminalizing the denial of genocides in the Criminal Code.

The sides referred to the peaceful settlement of Nagorno Karabakh problems under the aegis of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs. The interlocutors talked about the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement signed between the Republic of Armenia and the European Union in Brussels on 24 November 2017 which opens a new page in the RA-EU relations.

Ara Babloyan expressed hope that such meetings would give new quality and perspectives in the process of bilateral cooperation expansion.

Speaking about the cooperation between the two countries the Speaker of the National Council of the Republic of Slovakia Andrej Danko has highly assessed Armenia as the best counterpart and friend of Slovakia. The Head of the Slovak Parliament emphasized the deepening of cooperation between the two countries in all spheres, particularly in the spheres of education, culture and goods turnover.

The RA NA Speaker Ara Babloyan invited the Speaker of the National Council of the Republic of Slovakia Andrej Danko to visit Yerevan.

After the meeting the delegation together with the Head of the Slovak Parliament laid a wreath at the cross stone-memorial eternalizing the memory of the Armenian Genocide victims installed in Bratislava.

On the same day the delegation of the RA National Assembly visited the Museum of the Slovak National Uprising and laid a wreath at the Memorial of the Slovak National Uprising.