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On October 23 in the National Assembly a meeting-discussion headlined “Armenia-Italy Relations: Role of the Italian Week and Teaching Italian in Armenia” was held, which was organized by the RA NA Armenia-Italy Friendship Group and the Embassy of Italy to RA. The event was held within the framework of Italian international week, which this year bears the heading “The Italian Language of the Music and the Music of the Italian Language.” The NA deputies, members of the government, the Ambassadors of Italy and Switzerland to RA, as well as professors, lecturers and students from Yerevan State University, Yerevan Brusov State University of Languages and Social Sciences, Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory and Yerevan State Academy of Fine Arts took part in the meeting-discussion.

The Head of Armenia-Italy Friendship Group Koryun Nahapetyan in the name of the Friendship Group congratulated the attendees on the occasion of the 15^th International Italian Week. Highlighting the historical links and the rich past of cooperation of the Armenian and Italian ancient nations, Mr Nahapetyan documented that during the recent years Armenia-Italy relations had considerably enlivened and noted that due to the favourable attitude of the Italian authorities and the Italian people, Armenians could live and create in Italy through centuries, preserving their own culture and national identity. In the word of the Head of the Friendship Group, today the bilateral relations develop at inter-state level and the high-ranking visits boost their activation. In this context, Mr Nahapetyan emphasized the development of inter-parliamentary cooperation, noting that Friendship Groups function in the parliaments of the two countries long ago. In the framework of the parliamentary cooperation, he spotlighted the parliamentary diplomacy, and one of its valuable manifestations is that in 2000 the unanimous recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the Chamber of Deputies of Italy and a series of events following it; their aim has been the condemnation of the Armenian Genocide.

Koryun Nahapetyan has underlined that the Friendship Group led by him cooperates with the Embassy of Italy and is ready to show parliamentary support to every initiative, which will promote the daily growing cooperation between Armenia and Italy, which today develops especially in the spheres of trade, economy, culture, education, science, local self-government, defense, tourism and healthcare. Today, Italy is the second trade partner of Armenia among the European countries. Touching upon the event in the framework of the development of the scientific-educational ties, Mr Nahapetyan highly assessed the work done by the higher educational institutions organizing the teaching of Italian in Armenia, documenting that due to their efforts Italian speaking academic and students’ community had been developed in Armneia.

In his welcoming word, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Italy to Armenia Giovanni Ricciulli has thanked the organizers for the event, noting that it once again underlines the importance of Armenia-Italy relations and the Italian teaching. The Ambassador has expressed conviction that Armenia is a country of rich cultural heritage and European values. He has added that those values are assessed and accepted in Italy.

Lukas Gasser, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Switzerland to Armenia, in his turn highlighted the meeting and touched upon the activities of the Italian speaking community in Switzerland and the big role in the public-political life of the country. In this context Mr Gasser also referred to the activities of the Armenian community in Switzerland.

The RA Deputy Minister of Education and Science Karine Harutyunyan emphasized the Armenian-Italian centuries-old friendship and cooperation, noting that the two countries have historical and cultural commonalities, which give an opportunity to expand the cooperation in different spheres. Mrs Harutyunyan touched upon the cooperation between the two countries in the spheres of education and science. In that framework she has noted that many Armenian students get their education in different universities of Italy, programmes of cooperation are carried out between the higher educational institutions of the two countries.

By the assessment of the RA Deputy Minister of Culture Nerses Ter-Vardanyan, this initiative gives an opportunity not only to speak of deepening of the relations between the two friendly countries, but also promotes the strengthening of practical ties. He has noted that the Armenian-Italian cooperation develops almost in all spheres of culture. Touching upon the cultural ties, Mr Ter-Vardanyan has stated that there are notes about the Armenian-Italian connections already from the early medieval period. The RA Deputy Minister of Culture presented in detail the programmes being implemented in the sphere of culture and the level of cooperation.

Afterwards with the participation of the presidents and lecturers of the higher educational institutions debate was held. The President of Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory Shahen Shahinyan, the President of Yerevan State Academy of Fine Arts Aram Isabekyan, the Vice President of Yerevan Valery Brusov State University of Languages and Social Sciences Bella Margaryan, the lecturers and students of the higher educational institutions presented the methodology of trainings of Italian in the higher educational institutions, the format of cooperation between the higher educational institutions of the two countries, the achievements and problems of trainings of Italian and the programmes aimed at the students’ upgrading. The issue of providing continuity of Italian teaching was raised, particularly, the necessity of opening an Italian biased school.

In their speeches the Head of Armenia-Switzerland Friendship Group Ara Babloyan and the members of Armenia-Italy Friendship Group Shushan Petrosyan and Ruzanna Muradyan highlighted the organization of such meetings and voiced proposals on implementing bilateral programmes in the spheres of culture, education and healthcare.

At the end of the meeting Koryun Nahapetyan awarded a letter of appreciation of Armenia-Italy Friendship Group the students of Yerevan State University, Yerevan Valery Brusov State University of Languages and Social Sciences, Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory and Yerevan State Academy of Fine Arts for high advancement shown during the study of the Italian and active participation in the Armenian-Italian cultural programmes.