Ararat Mirzoyan and Salome Zurabishvili discussed cooperation issues  at inter-parliamentary platforms

ArmInfo.On March 14, the Speaker of the RA National Assembly Ararat Mirzoyan received the delegation led by the President of Georgia Salome Zurabishvili being  in Armenia on an official visit. The meeting was held in an expanded  format, the press service of Armenian NA reports.

Welcoming the guests Ararat Mirzoyan expressed confidence that the  representative visit of the delegation led by the President of  Georgia Salome Zurabishvili would be a new impetus in the further  deepening and strengthening of the Armenian-Georgian friendly  relations. The Speaker of the National Assembly highlighted the  brotherly peoples' traditional and special ties based on the common  history, cultural and spiritual values. The Head of the parliament  also distinguished the activation of the ties between the parliaments  of Armenia and Georgia, noting that in the near future the  Parliamentary Friendship Group would be formed.

Talking about the importance of the cooperation on the  inter-parliamentary platforms, Ararat Mirzoyan has noted that the  delegations always support each other in the problems admissible for  both sides. In this context, by the assessment of the Head of the  parliament, in the issues of different positions the delegations  should be guided by the principle of at least not harming each other.

The NA President touched upon the regional security issues. With  regards to Nagorno Karabakh problem the RA NA Speaker has underlined  that the authorities of our country are for the peaceful negotiation  settlement of the problem: in the format of the OSCE Minsk Group  Co-Chairmanship, adding that Georgia as OSCE participant state, has  joined the settlement of the problem in the Minsk Group format.  "Thus, from now on we should make efforts in order to have as  guidelines the balanced and neutral formulations in all statements on  Nagorno Karabakh," Ararat Mirzoyan underlined. In this context he  expressed concern about the joint statement of 29 October 2018 of the  Foreign Ministers of Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia, where the only  one principle of the conflict was mentioned. According to the NA  Speaker, some wordings voiced by the President of Georgia during the  visit to Baku recently also caused concern in the Armenian society.  In this respect the Head of the parliament considered unacceptable  the generalized approaches for different conflicts.

The RA NA Speaker emphasized the further activation of the  cooperation in a number of spheres and the implementation of joint  programmes, referred to the Armenian community's activity,  underscoring that through many centuries the Armenians had their  significant contribution to the economic, political, cultural life of  Georgia and could serve as a reliable bridge in more strengthening of  the two countries' relations.

The President of Georgia positively assessed the role of the  parliamentary diplomacy and also considered necessary the active  cooperation between the legislative bodies of the two countries and  the mutual visits.

"It is important that our stable relations continue developing  irrespective of the change of political forces. We, as neighbouring  countries, should have close relations. Those relations should  further deepen and expand," Salome Zurabishvili said.

Touching upon the concerns of the NA Speaker Ararat Mirzoyan Salome  Zurabishvili presented her position, also highlighting the settlement  of the regional conflicts exclusively through peaceful means and in  accordance with the norms of international law. According to her, the  regional conflicts impede the joint progress.

Ararat Mirzoyan has noted that in the near future he is ready to  gladly receive his Georgian colleague, the Speaker of the Georgian  Parliament Irakli Kobakhidze.

At the end of the meeting the President of Georgia left a note in the  Book of Honourable Guests of the RA National Assembly.