On January 18 the RA NA Speaker Samvel Nikoyan held a conference with the heads of the RA National Assembly delegations in the international structures. Ashot Ghulyan, NKR NA Speaker, Vigen Sargsyan, Chief of the RA President’s Staff, Eduard Sharmazanov, NA Deputy Speaker, Shavarsh Kocharyan, Foreign Deputy Minister, also attended the conference.

The NA Speaker Samvel Nikoyan has noted that the parliamentary diplomacy is one component and important part of the foreign policy of our state, and the goal of the conference is to discuss the work done by the RA NA delegations in the international structures, the existing problems and programmes, exchange information, to get familiarized with the proposals and views, more efficiently and coordinated organize the parliamentarians’ work. In Samvel Nikoyan’s words, the NKR NA Speaker’s participation in the conference is one more testimony that the NK people, in the name of the legally elected authorities, take part in the discussion and solution of all the problems, which refer to its destiny.

Touching upon the works done during the previous year, the heads of the RA NA delegations, in the person of Mkrtich Minasyan (Inter-Parliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy), Armen Rustamyan (Francophonie Parliamentary Assembly), Karen Avagyan (NATO Parliamentary Assembly), Gagik Minasyan (Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation), Naira Zohrabyan (Chair of Armenia-EU Inter-Parliamentary Assembly), Vahan Hovhannisyan (Parliamentary Assembly of the Eastern Partnership, EURONEST), Aram Safaryan (OSCE PA), Davit Harutyunyan (PACE), also presented their concerns, observations and proposals in the direction of more efficiently implementing the further programmes. The NA Speaker Samvel Nikoyan summed up the cooperation with the Inter-Palriamnetary Union, the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly and the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly.

In their word the NKR NA Speaker Ashot Ghulyan, the Chief of the RA President’s Staff Vigen Sargsyan, the Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan highlighted the role and opportunities of the parliamentary diplomacy, it was considered necessary to further activate the works of the parliamentary delegations. The RA National Assembly Speaker Samvel Nikoyan noted that we should actively use every dimension of parliamentary cooperation, irrespective of the fact an issue concerning Armenia is under discussion or not. He has considered important the mutual visits and holding of the international conferences in Armenia, through which our foreign partners gain the opportunity to get direct information and expressed willingness to support their organization.

Gagik Minasyan, Head of the Armenian Parliamentary delegation to the BSEC, has highly appreciated the holding of a conference with such format, where the heads of the delegations have opportunity to predetermine the programmes and problems of the further activity, which are common, and in that direction, we shall jointly work. He has noted that the continuity of such meetings will be useful both for the parliament, and in general, for the state.

Winding up the conference the National Assembly Speaker Samvel Nikoyan has noted that the important thing is not only the process of the discussion, but also the work that shall be done on the basis of its results. The Head of the Parliament expressed willingness to continue such meetings later, too.