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On November 24 the President of the Syrian Arab Republic Bashar al-Assad met with the delegation led by RA NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan.

Greeting the Armenian Parliamentary delegation the President of the Syrian Arab Republic Bashar al-Assad highly assessed the visit to Syria of RA President Serzh Sargsyan in March of this year in deepening the Syrian-Armenian friendly relations created on firm bases. With respect to strengthening of cooperation the President of Syria considered extremely important the RA NA Speaker’s official visit to Syria. He considered necessary the deepening of inter-parliamentary cooperation, emphasizing the activation of contacts and mutual visits. He considered invaluable the role with respect to deepening of the Armenian-Syrian brotherly relations and noted that the Armenian community with its activity greatly promoted the development and strengthening of Syria. The President Bashar al-Assad also considered important the deepening of the economic cooperation in different directions.

Expressing his gratitude for warm reception RA NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan conveyed to the President of Syria the greetings and best wishes of RA President Serzh Sargsyan. The NA Speaker noted that the Armenian-Syrian friendship was more strengthened by the mutual visits of the presidents of the two countries. Hovik Abrahamyan noted that in the history of the Armenian people Syria had had invaluable significance and the survival of the Armenian people was greatly conditioned by the support, due to which the Armenians, who fled from the Genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Turkey towards the Armenians at the beginning of the 20^th century, found refuge in Syria. As to Hovik Abrahamyan, he is in a country, the law-abiding and honest citizens of which are the Armenians, who in the conditions of good attitude being shown towards them, retaining their language and religion, are fully integrated into the society and make their contribution in the development of the friendly Syria. In his word, the presence of the Armenian big community is the best displays of the dialogue between the Christian and Muslim civilizations and mutual enrichment. In the NA Speaker’s word, Syria occupies a special in the Near East direction of Armenia’s foreign policy and the signed inner-state numerous documents on bilateral cooperation and high level contacts serve as firm basis for developing close relations between Yerevan and Damascus. Hovik Abrahamyan also highlighted the deepening of inter-parliamentary relations, the activation of bilateral contacts and mutual visits. In his word, Armenia highlights the more strengthening and deepening of cooperation in the Armenian-Syrian political, trade-economic, scientific-educational, cultural and other spheres. Armenia, in its turn, makes considerable efforts in strengthening peace, stability and security in the region, in formation of the atmosphere of mutual trust and cooperation.

In the course of the meeting the sides touched upon the Armenian-Turkish relations, issues pertaining to the regional conflicts. Both parties stressed that the problems should be solved through negotiations, stability and peace should be in the region, as the wars had not give any benefit to any country and people, except human and material losses.

The sides discussed other issues of mutual importance, too.

At the end of the meeting the President of the Syrian Arab Republic Bashar al-Assad asked Hovik Abrahamyan to convey his greetings and good wishes to RA President Serzh Sargsyan.

In Damascus the next meeting of RA NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan was with the Prime Minister of Syria Naji Otri.

Greeting the guests the Prime Minister of Syria assessed the relations of Armenia with Syria as special and unique and noted that the friendship between the two countries and peoples has historically deep roots. He also highly assessed the contribution of the Armenian community in the development of Syria. Muhammad Naji Otri considered important the NA Speaker’s visit to Syria in the context of deepening the Syrian-Armenian cooperation. He noted that the cooperation of the legislative and executive bodies was an important precondition in the development and progress of the country. He detailed to the NA delegation the ruling directions and achievements in the development of Syria’s economy. The Syrian Prime Minister considered necessary and important the activation of cooperation in different spheres of economy.

Thanking for warm reception the NA Speaker highlighted the deepening of economic cooperation and noted that there was non-used big potential in this sphere, as the trade turnover and the volumes of mutual investments between the countries having such political warm relations were at non-sufficient level. He expressed confidence that a wide field of mutually beneficial cooperation existed, and it was necessary to boost the implementation of the concrete programmes in different branches, the activation of business contacts and the holding of business forums.

In his word, the legal-contractual field existing between the two countries gives wide opportunities to successfully carry out the economic cooperation. “I am an extreme optimist with respect to the perspectives of bilateral mutually beneficial cooperation, and I am sure that in the conditions of friendly relations and later with joint efforts we shall record more strengthening of cooperation and further deepening of ties,” the NA Speaker noted.

Immediately after the meeting, RA NA delegation left for Aleppo. In the Aleppo airport the governor Ali Ahmad Mansura, the members of the power, the heads of the Aleppo communities met Hovik Abrahamyan and the members of the delegation.

On the same day the meeting of the NA delegation with the Aleppo governor and the members of the state power was held.

Later the delegation led by the NA Speaker took part in the opening of the exhibition of the goods of the Armenian production, which attended the Governor of Aleppo, the Chairman of the Armenian-Syrian Business Council, the representatives of the Armenian community. The Armenian parliamentarians visited the pavilions, got familiarized with the presented samples. Greeting those present, the NA Speaker noted: “I am sure that this exhibition and the next sitting of the Armenian-Syrian business council will have their boosting role in the development of the bilateral inner-state relations and especially in strengthening of trade-economic relations.

Today we can record with confidence that the Armenian-Syrian political relations are at very high level, what we can’t say about the trade-economic relations. And the existing level of the political relations shall be strengthened by activation of economic cooperation. From this point of view the businessmen of the two countries are obliged to reach the trade-economic relations to such level. I think there are all possibilities for that, moreover that immediately after the independence of Armenia Syria and, in particular, Aleppo, became one of the first markets for us.

During my official visit in the course of the meetings with the Syrian authorities we also have touched upon the economic relations, both sides documenting that they have big potential and here the Armenian-Syrian business council shall have its special role. The volumes of the present bilateral goods turnover reaching only about 4 million dollars do not at all correspond with our real possibilities. It’s only necessary to use that potential, because I think that necessary favourable environment and legal-contractual field are created for the contacts of the businessmen and economic entities, and that it’s very important that the sides have political will to support the programmes and initiatives aimed at activation of economic relations.

This exhibition is a very good occasion for the businessmen to be presented to each other, exchange information, get acquainted with the opportunities, establish relations, to find commonness of cooperation. There is a wide sphere to cooperate in the spheres of trade, agriculture, tourism, energy, scientific-technical and financial-banking spheres. I am sure that within the framework of today’s exhibition the cooperation will be laid on more practical bases.”

In the evening the delegation led by NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan visited the Armenian Patriarchate, met with the representatives of the Armenian community and gave a speech.

Later the parliamentary delegation led by NA Speaker and the representatives of the Armenian community visited to the National Orphanage. Hovik Abrahamyan talked with the children of the orphanage, and a photo was taken of him with the children. The NA Speaker made donation to the orphanage.

On November 25 the delegation led by NA Speaker will leave for Deir es-Zor from Aleppo and in the evening of the same day will return to Yerevan.