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On April 23 the Chairperson of the NA Standing Committee on European Integration Naira Zohrabyan and member of RPA faction Artak Zakaryan met with the Head of the Italian parliamentary delegation in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Rapporteur of the OSCE PA General Committee on Political Affairs and Security Riccardo Migliori.

Welcoming the guest Naira Zohrabyan noticed that though the Armenian-Italian political relations have recorded considerable progress, but the level of the parliamentary cooperation still remains insufficient. The Committee Chairperson noted that the three parties of the coalition presented a bid to join the European People’s Party, which will give opportunity to make closer the ties with European family. Highlighting the role of Italy in the European Union the Committee Chairperson expressed confidence that the Italian experience of European integration will be instructive for Armenia being interested in the political economic integration with EU. According to Mrs. Zohrabyan, Armenia is ready for active bilateral cooperation with Italy both within the EU European Neighbourhood policy and Eastern Partnership, which envisages closer cooperation with EU. And the member of RPA faction Artak Zakaryan noticed that the inter-parliamentary close and deepening cooperation could be favourable with respect to recording further success in the sphere of foreign relations.

The Head of the Italian parliamentary delegation in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Riccardo Migliori in the issue of European integration considered as priority the political integration, noting that he emphasized the wish of the coalition parties to join the biggest supranational party considering it a precondition for more inclusive cooperation.

During the meeting the sides touched upon the last developments of the Armenian-Turkish relations normalization, as well as the ways of the settlement of the NK problem. Mrs. Zohrabyan noted that suspending the ratification of the protocols in the Armenian Parliament, Armenia does not still consider the process completed. He noted that Armenia would touch upon the protocols only in case when Turkey would express its distinct position and would mark concrete term on ratification of the protocols without preconditions. The Committee Chairman ensured that the message of the President of the Republic received a big support both in the country and in Diaspora.

In connection with the Armenian-Turkish issue R. Migliori noted that when in Oslo Barack Obama was awarded Nobel Prize, he with his counterparts was discussing that such prize should be given to the President of the Republic for showing decisive initiative: i.e. the process of regulation of the relations with Turkey. The member of the Prosperous Armenia faction Naira Zohrabyan said that the bellicose statements of the political elite could not promote the peaceful settlement of the issue.

Touching upon the settlement of the NK conflict the RPA faction member Artak Zakaryan noticed that spreading false information Azerbaijan did not take into account that the self-determined Armenian population of Nagorno Karabakh could not imagine its existence in Azerbaijan.

The member of the NA Heritage faction Armen Martirosyan met with Head of the Italian parliamentary delegation in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Rapporteur of the OSCE PA General Committee on Political Affairs and Security Riccardo Migliori.

Presenting the views of the faction on the settlement on the NK conflict Armen Martirosyan noticed that all political forces in Armenia were against the military solution of the issue.

Touching upon the background of the NK conflict Armen Martirosyan noted that unlike the Soviet period, in the post-Soviet period all conflicts were solved in political way. The NK also became independent from Azerbaijan according to the laws of the USSR and international laws. In the context of the issue Armen Martirosyan touched upon the Armenian refugees’ problem, the approaches of the NK conflict settlement acceptable for the Heritage faction.

Speaking about the process of the Armenian-Turkish relations’ normalization Armen Martirosyan said that the faction being for the good neighbouly relations opined that the Armenian-Turkish should be established by the exchange of diplomatic notes, after which Turkey should open the border.