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On February 15, the Chair of the RA NA Standing Committee on Regional and Eurasian Integration Mikayel Melkumyan and the members of the Committee met with the delegation led by the Chair of the Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Links with Compatriots of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Leonid Kalashnikov.

Welcoming the guests, Mikayel Melkumyan underlined the strategic cooperation and the traditional friendship existing between the Armenian-Russian relations. The boosting of cooperation on the international parliamentary platforms, particularly within the framework of the IPA CIS and the CSTO PA were touched upon.

Presenting the main directions of the activity of the Committee led by him, the speaker especially highlighted the mutually beneficial cooperation of the similar committees of the two countries’ legislative bodies with concrete agenda, where the problems would be within the EEU framework and would refer to the Armenian-Russian cooperation. In this context the Committee Chair underlined with satisfaction that in recent period the rates of trade turnover had grown between Armenia and Russia, which was also conditioned by the change of the economic structure of the government.

Mikayel Melkumyan has also touched upon the cooperation on such international projects, which are of key interest for the two states and has highlighted the cooperation within the framework of Armenia-Iran-Georgia-Russia energy corridor.

The Committee Deputy Chair Armen Pambukhchyan raises the problem of having Upper lars alternative, new transport corridor and emphasized the Russian colleagues’ support, particularly in the elaboration of relevant legislation.

In his turn Leonid Kalashnikov highlighted the close cooperation of the parliaments’ two relevant committees and the holding of joint sittings. He referred to the problems of harmonization of the legislation within the EEU and the CSTO framework, noting that the Committee led by him worked out a package of recommendations relating to this. The Committee Chair also discussed a number of events aimed at the activation of the inter-parliamentary ties, stressing the Armenian side’s active cooperation in those formats.

In the course of the meeting the role of the Armenian community in the development of the bilateral economic ties, as well as deepening of cooperation on different platforms was emphasized.