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Within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding on Gender Issues signed on November 30, 2009 between the RA National Assembly and British Council Armenia Office from February 20 to March 5 the NA women deputies and a number of employees of NA Staff visited the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Finland and Poland for the policy of equal opportunities, improvement of women’s role in public and political life, exchange of experience on gender issues.

RA NA Vice Speaker Arevik Petrosyan, the Chairperson of RA NA Standing Committee on European Integration Naira Zohrabyan, RA NA deputies Karine Achemyan, Heghine Bisharyan, Ruzanna Arakelyan and Larisa Alaverdyan, as well as the British Council Director Armenia Arevik Saribekyan took part in the visit to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. During the visit there were meetings in the House of Lords with the Women’s National Committee, All-Parliamentary Equalities Group, heads and members of the all-party parliamentary group of the women deputies in the United Kingdom, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The Armenian parliamentarians also met with the head of the South Caucasus Team of the Foreign Office of the United Kingdom, the staff of the Department of Strategy, Policy Elaboration and Analysis, and at the proposal of the latter presented the viewpoints of the Armenian different political forces on the Armenian-Turkish protocols.

During the visit to the United Kingdom the RA NA Vice Speaker Arevik Petrosyan also met with the Chairperson of the British-Armenian All-Party Parliamentary Group in the House of Lords Baroness Caroline Cox. In the course of the meeting the sides discussed issues relating to the Armenian-British inter-parliamentary cooperation, Armenian-Turkish protocols, Karabakh conflict. The RA Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador to the United Kingdom Vahe Gabrielyan also took part in the meeting.

At the invitation of the Armenian community RA NA Vice Speaker Arevik Petrosyan also took part in the cultural event dedicated to Sergey Parajanov being held in Saint Yeghishe Armenian Church in London.

The RA Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador to the United Kingdom Vahe Gabrielyan also met the RA NA deputies at the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in the United Kingdom.

There were meetings in Wales with the Equality of Opportunity Committee of the National Assembly for Wales, heads and members of NA Inter-Party Group of Wales. RA NA deputies also participated in the discussions on the theme between the media and political figures: ‘Friends, Enemies or Partners?’ in the conference on the theme ‘Gender Budgeting: Elaboration of Introductory Politics for the Citizens of Wales,’ etc.

RA NA Vice Speaker Arevik Petrosyan and the deputies visited the park adjacent to Cardiff Peace Cathedral in Wales, where the monument-cross stone dedicated to the Armenian Genocide victims is installed, paid tribute to the memory of the innocent victims, met with the representatives of the Armenian community, who initiated installing the monument cross stone.

During the visit to Finland the RA NA Vice Speaker Arevik Petrosyan, RA NA deputies Lilit Galstyan, Anahit Bakhshyan, RA NA President’s Aide Rubina Bostanjyan, and the British Council Director Armenia Arevik Saribekyan had meetings with the Vice Speaker of the Parliament of Finland Mrs. Tarja Filatov, PACE Vice President, Head of PACE Finnish delegation Mrs. Sinikka Hurskainen, heads and members of Women’s Parliamentary Cooperation Network, Employment and Equality Committee of the Parliament of Finland, the representative of Obudsman of the Parliament of Finland, Roving Ambassador of Finland for Armenia and Georgia Petri Salo, the leadership staff of the Eastern Europe and Central Asia division, the Staff of the Gender Equality Unit of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health of Finland.

During the private talk of RA NA Vice Speaker Arevik Petrosyan and the Vice Speaker of the Parliament of Finland Mrs. Tarja Filatov the sides touched upon issues of inter-parliamentary bilateral and multilateral cooperation, parliamentary opposition, women’s involvement in the legislative body.

During the visit to Poland RA NA deputies Hermine Naghdalyan, Gohar Yenokyan, RA NA Speaker’s Assistant Seda Tarjumanyan, RA NA Speaker’s Aide Nareh Danielyan had meetings with the Founding Representative of the Authorized Body of Women’s and Men’s Equal Status, the Head of Women’s Group of the Parliament of Poland, the Chief Specialist of the Authorized Body of Equal Opportunity of the Office of the Government and Prime Minister, the representatives of the NGOs on Gender Issues.

RA NA deputies had also a meeting with RA Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Poland Ashot Galoyan.

The results of the visits show that the women deputies’ cooperation at parliamentary level is necessary, and it is highlighted. Concrete mechanisms of developing this cooperation have functioned for years. They mostly are of consultative nature, and they are based on the political agreements. They consolidate both political and public political, awareness aim at encouraging the women parliamentarians’ inter-party participation mainly in such issues as education, health care and gender, ensuring equal opportunities, excluding the discrimination promote the cooperation of women, who are involved in the politics, rise awareness, etc.

During all meetings the sides underlined the importance of such visits, which promote not only the exchange of experience but also the development of inter-parliamentary cooperation.

It is envisaged to sum up the information and materials studied during the visits and use the results in forming a consultative body on gender issues in the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia.