Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council chaired a meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Commission for Cooperation between the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation and the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia.
Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council Yury Vorobyov chaired the 33rd meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Commission for Cooperation between the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation and the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia. The meeting was held via videoconference.
The Deputy Speaker said the commission was meeting in a new composition, because elections had been held in 2021 both to the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of Russia and to the National Assembly of Armenia.
“Armenia is traditionally one of Russia’s oldest strategic partners. Our relations are based on the principles of equality and neighbourliness, as well as on the centuries-old traditions of friendship and mutual respect,” Yury Vorobyov said. He noted integration processes in most areas continued to be developed between Russia and Armenia. “Trust-based inter-parliamentary relations help establish close ties to solve global and regional problems in the most diverse fields.”
According to the Deputy Speaker, contacts between Russian and Armenian lawmakers are a priority in the context of bilateral interstate cooperation, as exemplified by the constructive collaboration between Russian and Armenian parliamentary delegations at international venues, specifically PACE, OSCE, and others. “We attach much importance to strengthening and intensifying our strategic partnership and allied interaction with Armenia.”
Yury Vorobyov reminded attendees that in 2022 the Russian Federation and the Republic of Armenia will mark the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries and the 25th anniversary of the fundamental bilateral Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance. According to the Deputy Speaker, these dates should give a new impetus to cooperation.
“Russia is Armenia’s leading foreign economic partner. Importantly, Russia and Armenia have managed to avoid a serious drop in trade amid the pandemic and the general economic decline in the world,” Yury Vorobyov said, noting the dynamically progressing relations between 70 Russian regions and almost all the regions in Armenia.
The Deputy Speaker suggested reviving the regional component in the bilateral inter-parliamentary dialogue. Specifically, he called for a resumption of delegation exchanges involving heads of legislatures from Russian regions and the marzer (regions) in Armenia.
Yury Vorobyov also talked about cultural and humanitarian contacts, the holding of inter-regional youth forums on a rotation basis in each country, and activities of public organisations. “Vivid examples of this work are the activities by the Fund for the Promotion and Support of Russian-Armenia Humanitarian Initiatives, “Heritage and Progress.”
The Deputy Speaker expressed the conviction that the results of the 33rd meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Commission would contribute to the advancement of friendly Russian-Armenian allied relations in all areas.
According to Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia and Co-Chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Commission Akob Arshakyan, Russia and Armenia have created a strong contractual and legal foundation that embraces all areas of bilateral cooperation.
Akob Arshakyan believes that the Inter-Parliamentary Commission is a dynamic venue for an exchange of best practices and for constructive and effective parliamentary interaction.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to Russia Vardan Toganyan and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Armenia Sergei Kopyrkin expressed greetings to the participants in the meeting.
During the meeting, lawmakers discussed the further development of Russian-Armenian inter-parliamentary ties, as well as the main areas and plans to strengthen the bilateral interstate dialogue, and the state of and prospects for bilateral humanitarian cooperation where it concerns support for the Russian language in Armenia and the Armenian language in Russia. A decision was approved to form a working group to create and install a monument to Russian-Armenian friendship on Russia Square in Yerevan.
The meeting participants also discussed the Expert Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Commission for Cooperation between the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation and the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia and approved the Inter-Parliamentary Commission’s Plan of Work for 2022.
The Russian section of the Inter-Parliamentary Commission includes Russian Senators Yury Vorobyov, Viktor Bondarev, Vladimir Dzhabarov, Alexander Karelin, Olga Kovitidi, Natalia Kosykhina, Alexey Kondratenko, Dmitry Kuzmin, Valery Semyonov, and Andrey Chernyshev, as well as State Duma deputies.