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On June 6, in Khanty Mansyisk Autonomous Region of Russia the 29^th sitting of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee on Cooperation between the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia and the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation began, where the RA NA delegation led by Hermine Naghdalyan took part. The RA NA delegation is not still formed: the RA National Assembly deputies Hayk Babukhanyan (RPA Faction), Jemma Baghdasaryan (RPA Faction), Tigran Urikhanyan (Tsarukyan Faction), Tatyana Mikayelyan (Tsarukyan Faction), Edmon Marukyan (Way Out), Aram Sargsyan (Way Out Faction), Ararat Mirzoyan (Way Out Faction), Aghvan Vardanyan (ARF Faction) took part in the sitting. The Russian delegation composition was certainly renewed as a result of the elections of the RF Federal Council and the State Duma held in autumn.

The Co-Chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee on Cooperation between the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia and the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, the Deputy Chair of the RA NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations Hermine Naghdalyan and the Co-Chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee Nikolay Ryzhkov presided over the sitting.

The RF Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the RA Ivan Volynkin and the RA Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the RF V. Toghanyan, representatives of the territorial authorities of Khanty Mansyisk Autonomous Region, Heads of the NGOs and representatives of the Armenian community took part in the sitting.

The agenda theme of the sitting was The Influence and Participation of the Parliament in the Development, Progress and Assistance to the Information Technology.

The Co-Chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee Hermine Naghdalyan delivered a welcoming speech and conveyed to the participants and organizers of the sitting the congratulation by the RA NA Speaker Ara Babloyan on the occasion of the launch of the 29^th sitting of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee on Cooperation, which once again proves the bilateral readiness of strengthening and development of cooperation. In her word Mrs Naghdalyan has documented that today the deep roots of the two peoples’ relations provide the consistent development of the Armenian-Russian allied cooperation on the basis of the centuries-old traditions of friendship, brotherhood and mutual aid. Legal-contractual weighty basis is created, voluminous investment programmes are implemented and humanitarian ties are expanded.

The Speaker of the legislative body of Khanty Mansyisk Autonomous Region Boris Khokhryakov gave a speech and informed about the steps and actions taken by the legislative and executive bodies of that RF Autonomous Region, which resulted in the development of the information technologies in the marz.

The members of the RA NA delegation, Ambassadors Ivan Volynkin and Vardan Toghanyan actively took part in the debates of the sitting. The NA deputy Hayk Babukhanyan delivered a speech and presented the achievements of the Armenian side in the development of the information technologies. During the debate the participants touched upon the necessary legal bases for the support of the legislative and executive powers, as well as the expansion of the possibilities of cooperation and advance of the two countries in that sphere and the problem of the parliaments’ opportunities in that matter.

During the 29^th sitting a wide circle of issues was discussed, including digital management, electronic services, the citizens’ participation in government of the city, marz, country, possibility of creation and expansion of mutual connections, rise of transparency of government processes, new means and possibilities of providing health care, educational and cultural services, etc.

On June 6, within the framework of the 29^th of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee on Cooperation the RA NA delegation took part in the exhibition on the theme Information Technologies for Everybody and the solemn opening of the 19^th International IT-Summit of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South-Africa), during which the Armenian MPs had an opportunity to talk about the joint initiatives and get acquainted with the innovations of that sphere. The dangers and damages of the sphere and the ways to overcome them were also discussed. The NA deputies Tigran Urikhanyan and Aghvan Vardanyan, the members of the Federal Council Igor Chernishenko, Irina Rodnina and Rafail Zinurov actively took part in the discussion and the Q & A session following it.

At the end of the day the RA NA delegation had meetings with the representatives of the Armenian community of Khanty Mansyisk Autonomous Region of Russia.