ArmInfo. The regular 34th meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Commission on Cooperation between the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia and the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation was held today in Stepanavan.
The meeting was dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Russia, as well as the 25th anniversary of the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance.
According to the Press Service of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, Viktor Bondarev, Chairman of the Defense and Security Committee of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation, highly appreciated the cooperation between the two countries, stressing that Armenia is a strategic ally of Russia. He stressed the importance of establishing stability in the region, noting that one of Russia's priorities is a peaceful settlement of the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.
RA NA Vice Speaker, Co-Chair of the Armenian-Russian Inter-Parliamentary Commission on Cooperation Hakob Arshakyan, in turn, stressed the role of Russian peacekeepers in maintaining peace in Nagorno- Karabakh. In his welcoming speech, he noted that holding meetings of the commission in various regions and cities of Armenia and Russia makes it possible to get acquainted with the possibilities of the regions on the spot, to outline specific steps for further cooperation.
Arshakyan touched upon the official visit of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to the Russian Federation, during which the heads of state discussed a wide range of issues of bilateral cooperation, issues aimed at strengthening stability in the region and establishing long-term peace and security.
The Vice Speaker of the National Assembly touched upon cooperation on international platforms, noting that effective cooperation has been established with Russian partners within the framework of the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly and other parliamentary bodies.
Speaking about the issues on the agenda of today's meeting, Hakob Arshakyan expressed confidence that new vectors of effective and constructive cooperation would be outlined. "We must consistently build on existing achievements and strive for more meaningful results," he said.
As part of the agenda, the issue of strengthening the Armenian-Russian inter-parliamentary cooperation was touched upon. Speakers highly appreciated the current level of political dialogue. The high level of implementation of joint programs, steps aimed at increasing the efficiency of traditional cooperation in various fields were noted. Issues of convergence of legislation, intensification of regional cooperation were touched upon, the need to expand cooperation within the framework of the CIS IPA and the CSTO PA was emphasized. Joint programs in the areas of economy, energy, and the latest technologies as well as cooperation within the EAEU to contribute the expansion of ties in the economic and trade sectors were touched upon.
Issues related to bilateral programs, prospects for humanitarian cooperation, support for the Russian language in Armenia and the spread of the Armenian language in Russia were discussed.