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On February 13 the delegation of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus led by Viktor Guminsky, Co-Chair of the Committee, Deputy Speaker of the RB NA House of Representatives arrived in Yerevan to take part in the works of the 6^th sitting of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee on Cooperation between the National Assemblies of the Republic of Armenia and the NA of the Republic of Belarus.

Opening the sitting Hrayr Karapetyan, Co-Chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee on Cooperation between the RA NA and RB NA, Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Defense, National Security and Internal Affairs welcomed the Belarus counterparts’ visit to the Armenian Parliament, highlighted the role of the Committee in the development of the inter-parliamentary dialogue. Highly appreciating the Armenian-Belarus relations, Mr Karapetyan stressed that the Committee had become a functioning mechanism for cooperation in the inter-parliamentary and inter-regional cooperation, in the international structures, in the spheres of energy, economy and culture. The Co-Chair of the Committee has noted Belarus is the third partner-state for Armenia in the sphere of trade after Russia and Ukraine on the CIS territory. By the data of 2011 twenty Belarusian organizations are registered in Armenia. In the Co-Chair’s word Belarus is the most important partner for Armenia in the international structures. The parties also actively cooperate within the CSTO frameworks. Hrayr Karapetyan reminded that in May parliamentary elections would take place in our country. He expressed conviction that the new parliament would keep and strengthen the close ties already existing between the parliaments of the two countries. Mr Karapetyan wished the participants of the 6^th sitting effective work and new achievements.

In his word, thanking the Armenian side for warm reception Viktor Guminsky, Co-Chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee on Cooperation between the RB NA and RA NA, Deputy Speaker of the RB NA House of Representatives, highlighted the deepening of relations between the parliaments of the two friendly peoples. In this context Mr Guminsky has opined that the Belarus Parliament has Inter-Parliamentary Committees on Cooperation only with 4 states, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine and China. He highly appreciated the work of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee on Cooperation, noting that it would greatly promote not only the development of the inter-parliamentary relations, but also deepening of trade-economic and inter-regional cooperation. The cooperation in international structures was evaluated. He has noticed that though the Armenian-Belarusian economic cooperation is developing, the volume of turnover between the two countries has increased, however, the whole potential is not fully used. The Co-Chair of the Committee has noted that they have begun the construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant and has emphasized the study of Armenia’s experience in this sphere.

Vardan Khachatryan, member of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee from the Armenian side and Viktor Guminsky from the Belarusian side delivered speeches over the issues relating to the elaboration of the agreed positions on cooperation of the parliaments of the two countries within the framework of the EU Eastern Partnership initiative in the international structures and key items in the PACE and OSCE.

Vardan Khachatryan in his speech has noted that there exist very deep ties and similarities between the Armenian and Belarusian peoples, which has also become a firm support for political cooperation.

Viktor Guminsky has noted that the Belarusian side highly appreciates the cooperation established between the parliaments and inter-parliamentary organizations of Belarus and Armenia. He noted that on September 29-30, 2011 in Warsaw it was possible not to allow including inadmissible situations in Belarus in the Final Declaration of the Eastern Partnership Summit. In this context he thanked the Armenian delegation in the EURONEST PA for concerted and effective work in the Summit. The Co-Chair of the Committee also emphasized the cooperation of the two parliaments in other international structures recording that until now the joint work had been effective.

The discussion of the problems relating to the holding of the seventh sitting of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee on Cooperation between the National Assembly and the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus was among the agenda items, as well as the working plan. It was decided to hold the next sitting of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee in Belarus in the first half of 2013. The items presented in the Final document were also discussed.

At the end of the sixth sitting of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee Hrayr Karapetyan and Viktor Guminsky, Co-Chairs of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee between the RA NA and RB NA signed the protocol of the sixth sitting of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee.