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On October 20 at the House of Receptions of RA Government the Chairperson of the NA Standing Committee on European Integration Naira Zohrabyan met the Rapporteur of PACE Committees on Political Affairs and on Economic Affairs and Development Andrea Rigoni.

Greeting the guest Naira Zohrabyan introduced the European involvement of Armenia presenting Armenia-EU, Armenia-Council of Europe relations, touching upon the European Neighbourhood Policy programme and especially stressing the importance of the Eastern Partnership. The parties exchanged ideas on the Eastern Partnership platforms, Euronest Parliamentary Assembly. The sides also touched upon the problems of free and comprehensive trade and associated agreements, easing the visa getting procedures.

Andrea Rigoni was interested in the regional problems. Mrs Zohrabyan presented the Armenian-Turkish, Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, noting that Armenia, adhering to one of the important components of European integration, the regional cooperation, was even ready to cooperate with the neighbours, with whom it had conflicts, in particular with Turkey and Azerbaijan, however the latter persistently torpedo any regional cooperation with Armenia, driving forward preconditions connected with Nagorno Karabakh. Mrs Zohrabyan also emphasized the formation of the atmosphere of trust in the region, whereas the head of Azerbaijan and the political elite of that country in all their public speeches were threatening with war, when only a month ago the findings of the sociological survey, which was held among the 16-17 aged young people, who had not seen Karabakh war in Azerbaijan, witnessed that the young people called on to solve the Karabakh problem with war. According to him, this is the consequence of the total Armenophobia campaign in Azerbaijan.

In the meeting other issues were discussed too.

On the same day the head of RA NA delegation in Euronest Parliamentary Assembly Vahan Hovhannisyan also met the Rapporteur of PACE Committees on Political Affairs and on Economic Affairs and Development Andrea Rigoni.

At the end of January 2011 Mr Rigoni should submit to PACE a report how the Eastern Partnership developed and what moods were on that issue in the partner countries, so he was interested in this problem. In this context Mr Hovhannisyan said that Armenia was the first from the partner states of the Eastern Partnership Parliamentary Assembly, which tried to send a delegation to Euronest and accepted all rules, proposing his amendments, which were accepted. Greeting the Eastern Partnership programmes, four platforms, especially facilitation of the visits, free economic relations, Mr Hovhannisyan, nevertheless, presented some concerns on Euronest. According to him, if Euronest becomes a venue of discussing the territorial integrity and nations’ self-determination, then it won’t implement its main mission. Vahan Hovhannisyan finds that the partner states of the Eastern Partnership Parliamentary Assembly in the European Parliament should have Permanent Observation Mission, should have authority of expressing its view in the committee sittings, still not having right to vote. In Euronest PA the head of RA NA delegation noted that his proposal had been discussed with the ambassadors of Rumania and Poland, in whose opinion, it could be the best solution. Mr Rigoni accepted that proposal with interest and promised to discuss it in his country.

In the course of the meeting other issues of bilateral interest were discussed.