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On November 29 in the RA National Assembly the 21^st sitting of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee on Cooperation of the RA National Assembly and RF Federal Assembly presided over by Nikolai Ryzhkov and Hermine Naghdalyan was held.

The President of the RA National Assembly Hovik Abrahamyan gave a welcoming speech. He highly appreciated the Armenian-Russian relations of deep roots and the strategic partnership anchored on centuries-old friendship and traditions of the two countries. To the NA President’s assessment, the cooperation of the two countries in the political, trade-economic, inter-parliamentary, military-technical, inter-regional and cultural-humanitarian spheres has reached to qualitatively new level. The cooperation has gained big importance with all this in international organizations. The stances of the two countries on international problems of mutual interest are close, or they mainly coincide. According to Hovik Abrahamyan, in the development of the relations of the two countries, especially in the reinforcement of inter-parliamentary relations the role of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee is significant, the works of which become more and more effective.

The NA President expressed hope that the discussion of the important issue of the youth policy and the cooperation of the two countries in that sphere would be more effective and a united programme of the activity of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee would be created for the coming two years. He wished effective work to the members of the Committee in the implementation of all initiatives aimed at the development of cooperation of the two countries.

The Co-Chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee Hermine Naghdalyan highly assessed the works done by the Committee and expressed hope that from now on the MPs of the two countries would make all efforts to undertake initiatives stemming from the interests of their countries and peoples and find their effective solutions. Both sides have good will and desire; only they will fulfill coordinated and consistent work.

Hermine Naghdalyan said that a new staff of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee had been formed from the representatives of different political forces of the National Assembly as a result of parliamentary elections.

The Co-Chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee Nikolai Ryzhkov highlighted the Committee’s mission in the development of the inter-parliamentary relations and strengthening of the friendship between the two peoples. He emphasized the development of the regional cooperation, Eurasian integration, and the active policy directed to the solution of the youth problems, which supposed activation of bilateral contacts with different formats in the spheres of public life, politics, science and culture. To Nikolai Ryzhkov’s assessment, the productiveness of the youth policy, the implementation of joint programmes in this sphere will be the pledge of everlasting friendship of the two peoples.

The member of the NA Standing Committee Levon Martirosyan made a report on the first agenda item of the sitting “On Russian-Armenian Cooperation in the Sphere of Youth Policy.” He touched upon the European experience of the youth policy, the policy pursued by the Armenian authorities aimed at solving the youth problems, the youth support programmes, the necessity of involving the youth as intellectual citizens of big organizational possibilities in legislative and in general, in administration systems and politics, drawing attention of the cooperation of the youth organizations of Armenia and Russia especially to the solution of social, educational, cultural problems and events providing their self-manifestation.

The Head of the Russian-Cooperation Representation to the RA Viktor Krivopuskov highlighted the existing mutual trust between the two countries in the elaboration and implementation of joint programmes for solving the youth problems. Presenting the recorded successes and works to be done in this sphere the speaker proposed to increase the financial and material support being allocated to the youth organizations and include in the list inter-state events for 2013-2015 Valery Brusov’s140^th birth anniversary celebration.

The Deputy Secretary of the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, the NA representative in that organization Hayk Chilingaryan delivered a speech on the issue. He introduced the legislative steps taken by the IPA CIS in the sphere of youth policy, and the joint events initiated by the youth organizations of the member countries informed those present about the creation of the Inter-Parliamentary Parliament.

The member of the Committee on Security and Combating Corruption of the State Duma Boris Reznik and the Deputy Head of the Department of the Educational, Youth Programmes of the Russian-Cooperation Representation Nikolai Chupashkin in their speeches touched upon the necessity of using the youth potential in different spheres and the implementation of the joint programmes in this sphere. They proposed to include the 50^th anniversary of the flight to cosmos of the first woman astronaut Valentina Tereshkova in the list of the inter-state events.

The issues “On the Implementation of the Previous Decisions of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee” and “On the Working Plan of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee for 2013-2015” included in the agenda were also discussed.

The sides made a decision to convene the 22^nd sitting of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee in Moscow in May, and one of the sittings – in Novgorod.

The 21^st Sitting of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee on Cooperation of the RA National Assembly and RF Federal Assembly ended the its work.