Wednesday, March 13 2019 19:39

ArmInfo.  On March 13, the  Chairman of the National Assembly of Armenia, Ararat Mirzoyan,  received a delegation led by the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Slovak  Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak.  According to the parliament's  press service, Mirzoyan expressed the hope that the OSCE, under the  leadership of Leychak, will continue its efforts to promote  international security, the rule of law and human rights.  He  expressed readiness on behalf of the National Assembly to support  this agenda.  The head of the legislative body thanked the OSCE /  ODIHR and OSCE PA missions in 2018 for observing the parliamentary  elections held in our country in December and impartial assessments.

Touching on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Mirzoyan  noted that Armenia attaches great importance to the efforts of the  OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs as the only internationally recognized  mediation format.  The head of the parliament emphasized the need for  the participation of representatives of Artsakh in the negotiation  process.

In turn, Laichak noted that, as the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, he is  committed to making efforts to achieve a peaceful settlement of the  Karabakh conflict, adding that it is necessary to work to strengthen  mutual trust.  In this context, he stressed the role of parliamentary  diplomacy as a factor contributing to the peaceful resolution of the  conflict.

The Speaker of the National Assembly noted that the settlement of the  conflict is a bilateral process, and the will of the peoples and  governments of these countries is important for peace.  According to  him, in response to the efforts to achieve peace, Armenia expects a  similar approach from the Azerbaijani side.  Mirzoyan expressed a  positive attitude towards the platform of parliamentary diplomacy to  more effectively resolve conflicts.

The speaker also said that the visits of the co-chairs of the Minsk  Group and experts in Artsakh should be made more frequent to  familiarize themselves with the issues on the ground.  During the   meeting, the parties touched on frequent contacts of legislators at  international parliamentary platforms and exchange of experience.    Referring to the Armenian-Slovak bilateral relations, the parties  stressed the potential for deepening cooperation, which will greatly  contribute to the creation of the Slovak Embassy in Armenia.