RA National Assembly President Hovik Abrahamyan Receives the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Jan Fischer

On May 17 the President of RA National Assembly Hovik Abrahamyan received the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Jan Fischer. The NA Vice President Arevik Petrosyan, the Chief of NA Staff Gegham Gharibjanyan, the Chairperson of NA Standing Committee on European Integration Naira Zohrabyan, the Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Financial-Credit and Budgetary Affairs Gagik Minasyan and the ambassadors of the two countries attended the meeting.

Greeting the Czech Prime Minister the RA National Assembly President expressed hope that his first official visit to Armenia would promote the development of bilateral relations. Hovik Abrahamyan noted that the Armenian part emphasized the development of relations both in bilateral and multilateral formats with the Czech Republic, as well as the cooperation in European structures. RA National Assembly President noted that the Armenian authorities paid special attention to the EU Eastern Partnership programme and took active part in its implementation. He also highlighted the development of economic relations between two countries.

The Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer noted that Armenia and the Czech Republic should do utmost for using the potential of the possibilities. He in particular as a sphere of cooperation noted culture, education and tourism. The Czech Prime Minister stated that Armenia was one of the key participants of the EU Eastern Partnership Programme.

RA National Assembly President considered important the development of the inter-parliamentary cooperation: during the past years inter-parliamentary active contacts had been between the parliaments of the two countries. Hovik Abrahamyan thanked the Czech part for the unbiased position in the NK issue, noting that the Armenian authorities were for the peaceful solution of the issue within the OSCE Minsk Group framework. He reiterated that Nagorno Karabakh could not be part of Azerbaijan and the issues of the NK status and the security of the NK people were important for Armenia.

The Czech Prime Minister also noted that the problem of Nagorno Karabakh should be settled within the OSCE Minsk Group framework and said that the Czech Republic had adopted a balanced position in NK issue.

The Chairperson of NA Standing Committee on European Integration Naira Zohrabyan thanked the Czech Prime Minister for the efforts taken in activating the Armenian-Czech relations, in particular, for restoring the students’ fellowship places and for giving opportunity the Armenian students to study in the higher educational institutions in the Czech Republic. The issue of the students’ fellowship by the assignment of the President of RA National Assembly was raised by the Committee Chairperson during the meeting, which was held with the parliamentary delegation of the Czech Republic in March.

RA NA President also touched upon Armenia’s economy, noting that this year there were possibilities to improve the indices. The Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Financial-Credit and Budgetary Affairs Gagik Minasyan noted that the economic data of Armenia would be better if the country would not be under blockade. Documenting that Europe declared the Eastern Partnership programme he considered unacceptable that Turkey, striving for European family, had blockaded the member state of that programme.

In the course of the meeting the sides discussed other issues of bilateral interest.