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The delegation of France-Armenia Inter-parliamentary Friendship Group of the Senate of France led the Chairman of the Group Serge Lagauche is in Armenia on three-day visit.

On the morning of July 8 the members of the delegation laid flowers in the Park of the National Assembly at the memorial perpetuating the memory of the October 27, 1999 crime victims.

The Head of Armenia-France Friendship Group Ara Babloyan, MPs Galust Sahakyan, Naira Zohrabyan, Heghine Bisharyan, Armen Rustamyan and Vazgen Karakhanyan met the delegation of Senate in the National Assembly.

Greeting the guests the Head of Armenia-France Friendship Group Ara Babloyan emphasized the long-century friendship of the two peoples. Highly assessing the current level of the Armenian-French multi-lateral relations, Mr. Babloyan highlighted the further development of the inter-parliamentary relations and the cooperation in international structures.

Highlighting the activation of parliamentary diplomacy Mrs. Zohrabyan noted that it was the important instrument that the official diplomacy could push forward in parallel the interests and the problems of bilateral interest. Naira Zohrabyan noted that the experience of France, one of the countries as EU locomotive, was useful on the way of the European integration for Armenia and expressed hope that the mutual visits at parliamentary level could promote the advance of those values. Touching upon the NK problem Mrs. Zohrabyan highly assessed the effort of France to solve the conflict through peaceful negotiations as OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair country.

Heghine Bisharyan noted that the Country of Law party had constantly been the propagator of the development of the Armenian-French relations. In the issue of deepening the Armenian-French relations, Mrs. Bisharyan highlighted the role of the French University in Armenia, which in its kind and quality distinguishes. Mrs. Bisharyan also emphasized the role of France as OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair country in settling the issue of NK conflict in peaceful way.

Armen Rustamyan added that France was one of the countries in the international instances that firmly stood next to Armenia. In his word, the Armenian-French relations are not only official, but also friendly. Mr. Rustamyan noted with satisfaction that France was one of the first that officially recognized the Armenian Genocide.

Highly assessing the Armenian-French relations Galust Sahakyan highlighted the role of the French culture in the education and upbringing of the Armenian people. Mr. Sahakyan emphasized the role of the MPs of France in more deepening and developing the cooperation between the two countries. Touching upon the involvement of the bill of the denial of the Genocide on the agenda of the Senate of France Mr. Sahakyan in that issue expected their assistance.

The members of France-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group thanked for warm reception and noted that the delegation with that composition was first time in Armenia.

The Chairman of France-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group of Senate Serge Lagauche noted that the aim of the visit was to get familiarized with the problems of Armenia. He expressed wish that the peoples of the region would build not through force, but through negotiations, trying to forget the past. He also considered necessary to more activate the Armenian-French cooperation, emphasizing the development of the inter-parliamentary relations and the deepening of cooperation in international organizations.

On the same day the delegation of the Senate of France visited the memorial of the Armenian Genocide victims at Tsitsernakaberd.