Tuesday, October 9 2018 13:51

ArmInfo. On October 9, the Chairman of the National Assembly of Armenia, Ara Babloyan, received the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Linas Antanas  Linkevicius.

As the press service of the parliament reports, the speaker highly  appreciated the fact that Lithuania is the first country to recognize  Armenia's independence. The Chairman of the National Assembly noted  the importance of close parliamentary contacts between Armenia and  Lithuania, and intensifying cooperation.  The speaker pointed out the  need for effective parliamentary cooperation at international  platforms.

Touching upon the issue of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership  between Armenia and the EU, Balboyan expressed gratitude to the  Lithuanian authorities for ratifying the document.

Touching upon the domestic political events in Armenia, the speaker  assured Linkevicius that the changes that occurred in no way will  have a negative impact on the Armenian-Lithuanian relations.  In this  context, the head of the legislative body noted that the recent  events in Armenia once again confirmed the fact that the country  continues to go in a democratic way. "As the chairman of the National  Assembly of Armenia, it's important for me that all decisions in the  country are made through political discussions and mutual  understanding. I hope that the current negotiations will end in favor  of our country and people, without upheavals and will not lower our  country's rating in the international arena," noted Babloyan.

In turn, Linas Linkevicius also praised the current level of  bilateral relations. He noted the importance of cooperation between  the parliaments of the two countries, as well as mutual visits and  exchange of experience. The Minister expressed readiness to share the  experience of Lithuania in a number of areas with Armenia. Also  Linkevicius stressed the need to develop and deepen cooperation in  the economic sphere. The latter also noted that in a number of areas,  such as information technology and e-government, countries have  untapped potential.

During the meeting, the interlocutors touched upon regional problems  and discussed issues of mutual interest. Touching on the  Nagorno-Karabakh issue, Babloyan noted that the conflict should be  resolved exclusively by peaceful means. According to the speaker of  the National Assembly, this is primarily a problem related to human  rights, and the conflict can be resolved only by free  self-determination of the Artsakh people.