The St. Petersburg Summit of the Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian presidents can be called positive generally in view of both the Karabakh peace process and the Armenian-Russian relations. Vice Speaker of the Armenian Parliament Eduard Sharmazanov told reporters after the meeting of the Republican Party of Armenia Executive Board during which President Serzh Sargsyan presented the results of the St. Petersburg meeting.
Sharmazanov welcomed the arrangements to extend the mandate of the OSCE CiO Personal Representative, which will help maintain peace in the region. He believes that the June 24 landmark visit of Pope Francis to Armenia will also contribute to the peace in the region. "Generally, there is positive tendency," he said reaffirming Armenia's commitment to the peace process on the basis of the three Helsinki principles, with a focus on the implementation of the principle of the people's right to self- determination.
He called quite efficient also the Sargsyan-Putin meeting for the Armenian-Russian cooperation. As for the president's visit to Karabakh shortly after arriving from St. Petersburg, Sharmazanov said the president traveled to the frontline to get first-hand view of the situation.