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On October 11, the Chair of the RA NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations received the Director General of the Department for Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland Maimo Henriksson and the Desk Officer for the South Caucasus Tiina Parviainen.

Welcoming the guests in the RA National Assembly, Armen Ashotyan highlighted the works aimed at boosting the cooperation between the parliaments of Armenia and Finland, particularly the activation of the Inter-Committee cooperation. In this context the Committee Chair Armen Ashotyan has touched upon the tool set of the parliamentary diplomacy, has underlined the role of the Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Groups and has noted that in this format the implementation of the effective works is of key importance. Armen Ashotyan also presented the Inter-Committee format of the parliamentary diplomacy, especially the involvement of the RA NA delegations in the works of the Inter-Parliamentary Assemblies.

In the course of the meeting the sides also referred to the RA foreign priorities, particularly the RA-EU relations. In this context the role of the Eastern Partnership format was emphasized as a development platform of the global economic ties, as well as the signing of the RA-EU New Comprehensive Agreement and after that the ratification process of the Agreement in the national parliaments.

Touching upon the Nagrono Karabakh conflict, the sides highlighted the role of the OSCE Minsk Group, as an only mediatory mission of the conflict settlement. Regarding the conflict settlement process Armen Ashotyan has also noted that the Nagorno Karabakh problem is not geopolitical.

During the meeting the sides also discussed Armenia’s social-economic development problems, the achievements existing in the humanitarian sphere and the cooperation opportunities.

At the end of the meeting the parties spotlighted the activation of the mutual visits, in this context the debate of the issues concerning the further cooperation and the effective use of the opportunities.