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On July 8 RA NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan received the delegation of France-Armenia Friendship Group of Senate of France led by the head of the group Serge Lagauche. The Ambassadors of the two countries Vigen Chitechian and Serge Smesow attended the meeting.

Greeting the guests RA NA Speaker highly assessed the stable developing Armenian-French relations in all directions. Hovik Abrahamyan noted that the dialogue at political high level served as a serious factor for the devlopment of cooperation, as well as the inter-parliamentary firm relations, historical-cultural centuries-long relations between two peoples and the existence of the Armenian big and influential community in France. Hovik Abrahamyan noted that the relations between the Senate of France and the National Assembly of Armenia have always been rather active and highlighted the role of friendship groups in the development of inter-parliamentary relations. The NA Speaker stressed that the rapprochement with EU and the European Integration policy is one of the priorities of foreign policy of Armenia and inner reforms, and the reforms directed to the deepening of democracy continue in Armenia.

Touching upon the settlement of the Karabakh problem, the NA Speaker noted that Armenia highlighted the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs in the process of the conflict settlement as practical and only format of negotiation process, which has sufficient potential for finding ways of settlement.

Mr. Abrahamyan also touched upon the Azerbaiajani bellicose announcements, which became more frequent during the recent period and the provocation organized in the morning of June 19 by Baku, and 5 Armenian military servicemen died because of it, expressing concern that the international community did not adequately respond and the actions of Azerbaijan were not condemned, which would rule out the repetition of such cases. The NA Speaker also talked about the opportunities of normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations without preconditions.

Serge Lagauche highlighted the necessity of deepening the relations between the parliaments, activation of contacts and mutual visits, which would promote to more develop and strengthen France-Armenia cooperation. He highly assessed the efforts of RA National Assembly Speaker directed to the development of Francophonie in Armenia and holding the 23^rd forum of European Region of the Parliamentary Assembly of Francophonie in Yerevan.

The member of the Senate of France also highlighted the settlement of NK conflict through peaceful negotiations and the necessity of the establishment of peace in the region.

Both sides highlighted the activation of parliamentary diplomacy and the necessity of deepening the cooperation in international structures.

In the course of the meeting other issues of bilateral interest were also discussed.