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On July 24 the RA National Assembly President Hovik Abrahamyan received Sergey Narishkin, the Speaker of the Federal Assembly of the State Duma of Russia, who arrived in Armenia on two-day official visit. After a short tête-à-tête the meeting continued in extended composition. There were taking part Leonid Slutsky, Chairman of the Committee on CIS and Ties with Compatriots of the State Duma, Tatyana Moskalkova the latter’s deputy, Ildar Gabdrakhmanov, Chairman on Statute and Organizational Issues, deputies, high ranking other officials from the Russian side, and the NA Vice Presidents Eduard Sharmazanov and Hermine Naghdalyan, Chairs of the Standing Committees and members of the factions, from the Armenian side.

Welcoming the visit of Sergey Narishkin and the Delegation led by him to Armenia and the National Assembly, Hovik Abrahamyan noted that the inner-state ties of the two countries were of special character, which also had its expression in the relations of the RA National Assembly and the RF Federal Assembly State Duma. The NA President expressed confidence that this visit of the Delegation led by Sergey Narishkin also will contribute to the further deepening of the Armenian-Russian relations.

Hovik Abrahamyan has underlined that during the recent years the level of bilateral inter-parliamentary relations has noticeably risen, and the contacts between the two parliaments have obtained regular character. According to the NA President, the meetings being organized at different levels greatly promote that, first of all, with the participation of the chairs of the legislative bodies. In his word, the meetings at such high level create wide opportunities for the discussion pertaining to further development of inter-parliamentary cooperation.

“Armenia is pleased with the dynamic development of strategic and allied cooperation with the Russian Federation in all directions. One of the important components of our relations is also the parliamentary format. We are ready for the most active constructive work with the Russian partners. Our deputies have all the conditions, and which is the most important thing, the wish and the intention,” Hovik Abrahamyan noted. In this context he underlined the importance of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee on Cooperation between the RA NA and the RF Federal Assembly, noting that due to latter’s long year activity the inter-parliamentary relations between Armenia and Russia have gained coordinated character, and the created legislative basis provides all the spheres of inner-state cooperation of the two countries.

Mr Abrahamyan noted that the RA National Assembly had given great importance to the active cooperation of the delegations of the two parliaments within the framework of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO PA). He has expressed confidence that Inter-Parliamentary Assembly led by Sergey Narishkin would successfully solve its task put forward for providing the CSTO legislative basis, an organization, which is the guarantor of peace and stability in the region. Underlining that Armenia had always actively taken part in the CSTO PA works, Hovik Abrahamyan said that in the upcoming September the consultation of the Chairmen of the Committees on Defense and Security of the parliaments of the CSTO member countries would be held in Yerevan. He highly appreciated the coordinated works of the delegations of the two countries in international parliamentary structures.

“I am sure the cooperation of our parliaments could provide the implementation of not only inner-state agreements, but also civil and public widest support for the process of further deepening of cooperation of our two countries,” the RA NA President said.

Hovik Abrahamyan proposed to discuss the issue of having representatives in two countries, which, in his word, would promote the rise of effectiveness, giving more practical character to them.

Thanking Hovik Abrhamyan for the warm reception, the Speaker of the Federal Assembly of the State Duma of Russia Sergey Narishkin congratulated the Armenian partners for successful parliamentary elections. He reminded those present about the Russian observers’ objective assessment to the RA NA elections, according to which, they were held in accordance with legislation and international standards, maintaining the spirit of democracy. “We see that Armenia develops as rule of law and democratic country,” Sergey Narishkin noted. He also thanked the Armenian partners for the effective observation mission carried out in the RF parliamentary and presidential elections.

In the word of the Speaker of the RF Federal Assembly of the State Duma, the Russian side is fully pleased with the level of development of relations between Armenia and Russia in all directions: economic, political, humanitarian, etc. He greatly highlighted the ties shaped in the parliaments of the two countries in deepening of bilateral relations. In Sergey Narishkin’s word the RA and the RF have common approaches in all inter-parliamentary platforms.

The other participants of the meeting also expressed their views over issues of bilateral interest.

RA NA Vice President Eduard Sharmazanov in his word underlined that the Armenian-Russian relations in all directions were exclusively of positive character in political, economic and humanitarian spheres, they only had gone upwards. In his word, Armenia and Russia had been not only strategic, but also genuinely allied partners. The joint rich history, the current friendly relations serve as a good basis for new, ongoing cooperation.

Highlighting parliamentary meetings in such representational composition Hermine Naghdalyan, RA NA Vice President and Co-Chair of Inter-Parliamentary Committee on Cooperation between the RA NA and RF Federal Assembly, noted that they gave opportunity to disclose the unused potential and perspectives of cooperation. Hermine Naghdalyan recorded wide perspectives of cooperation in the format of cooperation between the regions, for which it will be necessary to shape a relevant legislative basis. In that direction the partnership will also open new perspectives of economic cooperation.

To the assessment of Koryun Nahapetyan, Chairman of the RA NA Standing Committee on Defense, National Security and Internal Affairs, the new format of cooperation – the consultation coordinating the Committees on Defense and Security of the parliaments of the CSTO member countries - will give opportunity to discuss the issues relating to the problems of defense and security, to elaborate mechanisms of coordinating the foreign policy pertaining to the international and regional issues and to assist the parliaments in harmonizing with the legislative field.

Leonid Slutsky, Chairman of the Committee on CIS and Ties with Compatriots, touched upon one more being shaped within the CSTO framework, the joint annual consultation with the CSTO IPA of the secretaries of the National Security Councils, highlighting its effective activity. He drew attention to the importance of the joint initiatives of mutual support in international parliamentary structures.

Mikhail Shvidkoy, RF President’s Special Representative on International Cultural Cooperation, Co-Chair of the Department of Humanitarian Cooperation International Fund of CIS Member Countries, especially emphasized the sphere of humanitarian cooperation, finding that in other directions the efficiency of cooperation was conditioned by the very human factor. In his word, in humanitarian sphere the parliamentary relations have special role, it is expected that the parliaments of the two countries will activate their participation in cultural, educational and scientific joint programmes, also providing a legislative field facilitating that cooperation. He especially emphasized the implementation of humanitarian programmes among youth.

In the course of the meeting the sides also touched upon the possible cooperation in the field of Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) , and other issues were discussed, too.

Speaker of the Federal Assembly of the State Duma of Russia Sergey Narishkin left notes in the NA Honourable Guests’ Book.

Mr Narishkin and the Delegation led by him had been in the NA Session Hall.