On December 22, 2016, the joint sitting of the RA National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Relations and the RF FA State Duma Committee on the CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Links with Compatriots (hereinafter Parties) was held in Yerevan.

In the course of the meeting the general direction of the development and strengthening of cooperation and friendly relations was established between the Parties, high assessment was given to the formed mechanism of the inter-parliamentary cooperation within the framework of the allied cooperation between the Republic of Armenia and the Russian Federation.

The participants of the joint sitting strictly condemned the terror act occurred in Ankara, as a result of which Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Turkey Andrey Karlov was meanly killed.

Discussing the perspectives of the economic cooperation and the integration dynamics within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union, as well as the initiatives and support of the inter-parliamentary cooperation for the attractiveness of the implementation and investments of business projects,

The Parties highlight the development and deepening of the economic integration for the Eurasian Economic Union, as modern, efficient and competitive integration union for the implementation of its tasks and goals,

The Parties seek to create favourable conditions within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union for the formation of free move of goods, services, capital and working force for the benefit of the implementation of the coordinated, agreed and united policy in the spheres of economy, which are defined in the Eurasian Economic Union Treaty,

The Parties do works for the further harmonisation of the national legislation for the strengthening of integration cooperation and additional growth of economy,

The Parties reaffirm the responsibility in clarifying the importance of the Eurasian Economic Union to the citizens of their country as a mechanism of close cooperation of independent autonomous states, and as an understandable and attractive, stable and long-term format for the citizens and business in the new economic platform. To achieve that goal the Parties attach considerable role to the regular exchange of opinions on the issues of mutual interest,

The Parties intend to continue the information work within inter-parliamentary contacts and at the platforms of international parliamentary organizations, which is directed to accessibility of the Eurasian economic integration ideas, the formation of the EEU united character, as well as clarify the importance of the ongoing integration processes during the contact with the parliamentarians and society, promoting the EEU image component,

The Parties emphasize the creation of the favourable conditions for the parliamentary support in the involvement of the long-term investments, the fulfillment of the perspective joint programmes, taking into consideration the EEU integration processes,

Discussing the regional security, the Armenian-Russian cooperation and the provision of the regional security in the territory of South Caucasus,

The Parties highlight the statement adopted on October 14 of this year of the CSTO member states’ heads and approve the necessity of the exclusively peaceful solution of Nagorno Karabakh problem on the basis of the international law norms, the UN Charter, the provisions of Helsinki Final Act, particularly, the non-use of force or threat of force, the peoples’ legal equality and the law of self-determination, the states’ territorial integrity,

The Parties approve the modernity of the statement of the CSTO member states’ Foreign Ministers on Nagorno Karabakh conflict signed in Yerevan on July 4 of this year,

The Parties underline the necessity of the rise of the parliamentary diplomacy role for the further support of the international efforts, which are aimed at the provision of the regional and international security, as well as for the preservation of stability in the region and the creation of the atmosphere of trust,

The Parties intend to continue the information works in the inter-parliamentary formats aimed at the unreserved fulfillment of the 1994 and 1995 ceasefire termless agreements,

The Parties highlight the agreements reached in Vienna on May 16 of this year and in Saint Petersburg Summits on June 20 of this year, and consider inadmissible the escalation of the situation in the conflict zone,

The Parties back the OSCE PA Co-Chairs’ efforts aimed at the stability of the situation and the provision of the conditions for the peaceful process progress,

Discussing the cooperation at the international parliamentary platforms - PACE, OSCE PA, CSTO PA, IPA CIS, Inter-Parliamentary Union/IPU, PABSEC,

The Parties underline the necessity of the coordination of the activities of the parliamentary delegations of the Republic of Armenia and the Russian Federation at the international parliamentary platforms (PACE, OSCE PA, CSTO PA, IPA CIS, Inter-Parliamentary Union/IPU, PABSEC, etc), taking into consideration the allied obligations, aiming at the strengthening of the Armenian-Russian interaction and the agreed initiatives over the international topical issues,

The Parties intend to activate the cooperation, aimed at counteracting the various initiatives and steps, which oppose the interests of the Parties’ state/states,

The Parties consider important the conduct of the coordinated work at international parliamentary platforms, which is directed at building relations with the parliamentarians of the world on the basis of equality and security inseparability, as well as the denial of the threat of force or its use in the international relations, acting with political-diplomatic methods,

The Parties highly assess the inter-parliamentary ties, which fulfill the function of important mechanism in the elaboration and improvement of the norms of the Armenian-Russian allied relations in the provision of the rule-making development, as well as for the close cooperation within the framework of the CIS, CSTO and EEU, which will open a wide opportunity in the implementation of the mutually beneficial initiatives and reaching success,

The Parties note the necessity of the further cooperation of the parliamentarians of the Republic of Armenia and the Russian Federation for the benefit of the harmonisation of the legislative field,

The Parties welcome the decision of the Inter-Parliamentary Union of holding of the 137^th Assembly in Saint Petersburg in 2017.

The Parties attach importance to the deepening of inter-parliamentary cooperation between the Republic of Armenia and the Russian Federation, aimed at further development of friendly andmutually beneficial ties in the political, social, economic, humanitarian and other spheres of mutual interest,

The Parties welcome the results of the discussions and announce that they are ready to carry out consistent work for the benefit of the fulfillment of decisions adopted within the framework of the Armenian-Russian inter-state cooperation,

The Parties agree that the joint sittings give an additional impetus to the harmonisation and development of the national legislation, as well as the improvement of the legal enforcement practice,

The Parties approve their interest and readiness for the regular organisation of the joint parliamentary drafts and events with the participation of other parliamentary committees and commissions of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia and the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation,

The Parties will convene the next joint sitting in the city of Moscow in 2017.

The Chair of the RA National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Relations

Artak Zakaryan

The Chair of the RF FA State Duma Committee on the CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Links with Compatriots

Leonid Kalashnikov

22 December 2016, City of Yerevan