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At the press conference held on September 24 the Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Defense, National Security and Internal Affairs Koryun Nahapetyan and the member of the Committee Tevan Poghosyan presented details about the results of the visits of the delegations of the Committee to China and Germany.

Koryun Nahapetyan has noted that on August 23-30 the delegation of the Committee visited the People’s Republic of China (PRC) at the invitation of the Internal and Judicial Affairs Committee of the PRC People’s PCC National People’s Congress. The delegation was composed of Koryun Nahapetyan, members of the Committee Karen Saribekyan and Mikayel Manukyan. In the organization of the visit Mr Nahapetyan highlighted the role of Tian Erlong, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of PRC to Armenia.

Within the framework of the visit the members of the delegation were in the city of Shanghai and met with the Deputy Speaker of the Standing Committee of the National Congress, Police of Shanghai and the representatives of the departments on civil issues. Issues concerning the parliamentary cooperation, interaction in the spheres of police and emergency situations and other issues of bilateral interest were discussed.

On August 27 the delegation visited Beijing and met with the representatives of the PRC legislative and executive power. The members of the delegation had meetings with the Deputy Ministers of Public Security and Civil Affairs.

They met with the Deputy Chairman of the Standing Committee of the PRC People’s PCC National People’s Congress and the members of the Internal and Judicial Affairs Committee. The Armenian side proposed to work out a Draft Memorandum on Cooperation for strengthening the cooperation between the parliamentary committees.

During the meetings the role of China was spotlighted in providing global and regional security, as well as the distinct position of China in the settlement of the NK issue through peaceful means was underlined. The parties also touched upon the initiative of the creation of the economic zone of the Silk Road, the possible involvement of China in the works of the RA-Iran railway, North-South highway, the construction of the new energy block of the Nuclear Power Plant.

Koryun Nahapetyan also took part in the Global Summit of Economic Leaders held in the city of Changchun.

Highlighting the cooperation with China and the high ranking visits paid at state level during the recent period, Mr Nahapetyan assured that this visit will also promote the strengthening of friendly ties between the two countries and the implementation of the joint programmes.

Talking about the visit to Germany Mr Nahapetyan informed that on September 8-11 the delegation led by him, comprised of the Committee members Artur Stepanyan, Tevan Poghosyan, Mikayel Manukyan and Khachatur Kokobelyan, was on a working visit in the Federal Republic of Germany. The visit was implemented by under the auspice of the OSCE Office in Yerevan. He highly assessed the role of Ashot Smbatyan, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of RA to Germany.

It was noted that in Berlin there were meetings with the Chairs of the Committees on Defense and on Internal Affairs of Bundestag, the State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Defence, the Head of the Parliamentary Control Panel of Bundestag, Special Commissioner of the FRG Minister of Interior and Director General, Department of Development Cooperation, Federal Ministry for European and Internal Affairs. Mr Nahapetyan especially noted that they reached an agreement, according to which, three employees from the RA Police will have training in Germany. They have exchanged opinions relating to the issue of immigrants: during almost all the meetings the German colleagues specified the mentioned issue as a modern challenge of security.

The delegation also met with Antje Leendertse, Head of the FRG Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Presidency of Germany to OSCE and the Head of the Regional Division of the Ministry. As in 2016 Germany will assume the OSCE Presidency, the NA Delegation presented its expectations connected with the Presidency which, particularly, related to the settlement of the NK conflict within the OSCE Minsk Group. The parties especially touched upon the current phase of the resolution condemning the Armenian Genocide in Bundestag.

Tevan Poghosyan especially emphasized the visit to Germany in the context of the study of the oversight problems and its application in our legislation. Spotlighting the meetings with the legislative and executive representatives of the spheres of defence and internal affairs, he has underlined that some wrong pictures on different problems regarding some issues, in particular, the NK conflict and the RA foreign policy, were clarified with the German colleagues. In terms of the experience exchange and the improvement of the professional capabilities Mr Poghosyan distinguished the issue of the continuity of the educational programmes which had been raised by the Committee Chairman Koryun Nahapetyan during the meetings.

Koryun Nahapetyan and Tevan Poghosyan also answered the journalists’ questions.