Wednesday, June 20 2018 17:50

ArmInfo. Armen Ashotyan, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly on Foreign Relations, met on June 20 with a member of the German Bundestag, a member of the committee on complaints-applications Gero Storjohann.

As reported by the press service of the Parliament, Ashotyan noted  the possibilities of developing existing relations between the  parliaments of the two countries, intensifying cooperation between  the interparliamentary friendship groups.

During the conversation, the parties turned to the European vector of  Armenia's foreign policy. In this context, Ashotyan stressed that  relations with the EU member states are one of the cornerstones of  Armenia's foreign policy agenda.

In connection with the mutual cooperation within the framework of the  Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Expanded Partnership Agreement, Armen  Ashotyan noted that Armenia hopes for the final ratification of the  document by the European side before the elections of the European  Parliament in 2019.

As for the ratification of the agreement in the German parliament,  Ashotyan expressed hope for the acceleration of the process.

The sides touched upon the internal political developments in  Armenia, the forthcoming parliamentary elections. "Electoral reforms  should be conducted with political consensus, with the involvement of  society and exclusively in accordance with international principles,  in particular based on the proposals of the Venice Commission and the  OSCE/ODIHR," Armen Ashotyan said.

The meeting also exchanged views on the effective application of the  mechanisms of parliamentary oversight, emphasizing the importance of  studying and applying the European experience accordingly.

The German deputy expressed hope for a meeting with Ashotyan in the  Bundestag in the fall as a member of the Armenian-German  interparliamentary friendship group - to discuss the various areas of  cooperation of mutual interest.