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On November 13 Hovik Abrahamyan, the RA National Assembly President received Jorge Orrico, President of the House of Representatives of the Eastern Republic of Uruguay, and the delegation led by him, who came to Armenia on an official visit. The NA Vice Presidents, the heads of the NA Standing Committees and the factions were attending the meeting.

Welcoming the guests Hovik Abrahamyan noted with satisfaction that warm and friendly relations existed between Armenia and Uruguay, which were necessary to more develop, taking as a basis the traditional friendship between our peoples. He highlighted the legal-contractual field formed between the two countries, at the same time deeming necessary its modernity and enlargement in order to create a fruitful soil in different spheres for close cooperation.

In the development of bilateral relations the NA President Hovik Abrahamyan highlighted such high ranking officials’ visits, as well as the work of the Parliamentary Friendship Groups. The NA President noted as a vivid example of bilateral friendship the recognition of the Genocide by Uruguay in 1965, which witnessed of invaluable contribution by Uruguay in the protection of human rights. He highly appreciated the view sounded about the Karabakh problem by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uruguay Luis Almagro Lemes during the forum organized by the Armenian National Council and Uruguay-Armenia Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group held in Montevideo in September 2011, according to which, “The Nagorno Karabakh has been and at present is directly connected with Armenia, its Armenian population, and the independence of Karabakh or in future joining Armenia is the best path for Nagorno Karabakh”. According to Hovik Abrahamyan, this view fully reflects the Armenian stance on the Karabakh issue.

The NA President expressed conviction that the visit of the Delegation led by Jorge Orrico to Armenia would greatly promote the more rapprochement of bilateral inner-state and inter-parliamentary relations and mutually beneficial cooperation.

Thanking for the invitation and warm reception, the President of the House of Representatives of the Eastern Republic of Uruguay Jorge Orrico highly assessed the existing friendly relations between the two countries and highlighted the development of bilateral ties and reinforcement in different spheres. He also deemed necessary the activation and rapprochement of inter-parliamentary relations. Mr Orrico highly appreciated the role of the Uruguayan Armenians in the development of Uruguay. “The Armenians’ contribution is big in the formation of the Uruguayan culture. Today they are involved in all spheres of life of our country, beginning from the Government up to the spheres of education, science and sport. Coming to Armenia we feel ourselves at home”, Jorge Orrico said. In his word, the two peoples unite the past, without which it is no possible to understand the present, and the rich jointheritage will help to move together to future. He expressed hope that in future the bilateral contacts would be more frequent for the benefit of effective cooperation.

The NA President Hovik Abrahamyan presented the Safarov case, assessing it as an unprecedented phenomenon, an immoral step taken on political purposes, which could negatively affect both on the negotiation process of Nagorno Karabakh and weakening of tension and establishment of stability in the region.
He presented the steps taken by the Armenian authorities and the condemning responses of the international community.

Touching upon the negotiation process of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the President of the national Assembly noted that the Armenia side saw its solution within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group. “The maintenance of the ceasefire and the solution of the conflict through peaceful negotiations is very important for us”, Hovik Abrahamyan noted. The NA President also touched upon the Armenian-Turkish relations.

In relation to Safarov case Jorge Orrico noted that Uruguay condemned that action, wherever it happened. “We have always fought for the people’s equal rights. We condemn all the actions, which serve as crime. The protection of human rights is of big importance in the international arena, we are ready to support the solution of all conflicts and disputable problems, which would go on through peace”, he said.

At the end of the meeting the RA National Assembly President Hovik Abrahamyan awarded the President of the House of Representatives of Uruguay Jorge Orrico the Medal of Honour of the RA National Assembly for significant contribution in strengthening the traditional friendly relations and the development of the inner-state relations with the Republic of Armenia. The member of the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Uruguayan Parliament and the Uruguay-Armenia Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group Ruben Martinez was awarded the NA diploma.