Tuesday, 14 April 2015
PM Welcomes PACE President
Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan received today Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) President Anne Brasseur who is paying an official visit to Armenia.
The head of government described the PACE-Armenia interaction as quite effective. Appreciating Anne Brasseur’s visit, the Prime Minister noted that it will give new impetus to the strengthening and further development of bilateral cooperation.
In turn, Mrs Brasseur pointed to Armenian delegation’s active involvement in PACE activities, stressing that it goes a long way toward expanding and deepening relations in the sphere of parliamentary diplomacy.
The interlocutors discussed regional developments and challenges. Coming to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Prime Minister Abrahamyan presented Armenia’s position, namely that the issue should only be resolved through peaceful talks in the OSCE Minsk Group format.
The head of government stressed that Azerbaijan continues to violate the regime of ceasefire, which is far from being conducive to the settlement of the conflict. Moreover, the situation remains tense due to the Azerbaijani side’s actions.
Anne Brasseur agreed in that the increase in tension in the zone of conflict is inadmissible, noting that the PACE accepts only one solution for the Nagorno-Karabakh problem, which is the dialogue between the conflicting sides.
The sides next touched upon the steps taken toward the establishment of democratic institutions in Armenia, the protection of human rights and the fight against corruption. The Premier stressed that the Government will continue to take consistent steps in this direction.
The parties took the opportunity to discuss other issues of mutual interest.
