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On March 11, the Head of My Step Faction of the RA National Assembly Lilit Makunts met with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Republic of Germany to Armenia Michael Johannes Banzhaf.

The Head of the Faction has noted that the friendly relations harmonically develop between the two states and parliaments. “Especially during 2019 the high ranking officials’ mutual visits had been rather activated. Unfortunately, because of COVID-19 the immediate contacts and the official delegations’ mutual visits temporarily interrupted. Despite that fact, I would note with satisfaction that the political dialogue between the parliaments has not been interrupted. The practical contacts continue between the NA President Ararat Mirzoyan and the FRG Bundestag President Wolfgang Schäuble,” Lilit Makunts noted, also highlighting in the context of cooperation the continuity of the implementation of the International Parliamentary Scholarship programme funded by the Bundestag.

Lilit Makunts highly assessed the efforts of the German side directed to strengthening of peace and stability in the region and formation of atmosphere of mutual trust. According to her, the discussions held in the Bundestag on October 29 of the previous year in relation to the war unleashed by Azerbaijan in Nagorno Karabakh were appraisable.

The Head of the Parliamentary Faction evaluated the special discussion held in the Bundestag of Germany on 4 March 2021 on the immediate return of the Armenian prisoners of war and the civilian persons.

Both sides emphasized the continuity of the negotiations on the final settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh problem within the frameworks of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship format.

Lilit Makunts considered as a key issue the right of the Artsakh-Armenians’ self-determination without realization of restrictions and the issues of the final specification of Nagorno Karabakh status. She also referred to the problem of de-occupation of the conquered Armenian territories.