YEREVAN, OCTOBER 23, ARMENPRESS. Vice Speaker of the Armenian Parliament Eduard Sharmazanov on October 23 hosted members of the Parliament of Mexico Blanca Margarita Cuata Dominguez, Maria Cristina Teresa Garcia Bravo, Carlos Hernández Mirón and persons accompanying them, press service of the Armenian Parliament told Armenpress.

The meeting was also attended by head of Armenia-Mexico parliamentary friendship group Karen Avagyan and group member Gagik Melikyan.

Welcoming the guests Vice Speaker Sharmazanov said the visit of Mexican parliamentarians is unique in a sense that this year marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Mexico. Talking about the bilateral ties, Sharmazanov expressed confidence that the work of the parliamentary friendship groups will open new page and will increase the existing relations to higher level both in political, economic and other spheres.

Sharmazanov extended his condolences to the lawmakers over the recent earthquake in Mexico, stating that the Armenian people understand well the pain of the Mexican people.

The meeting also focused on Armenia’s foreign policy priorities. As for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, Sharmazanov said: “Our fight is for justice and prevention of genocides. We don’t consider any people, including the Turkish people, as an enemy, we think that Turks first of all need to recognize the Armenian Genocide and face with their own history since denial and falsification can result in new genocides and tragedies”.

Mr. Sharmazanov informed that next year marks the 70th anniversary of UN Convention on Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide adopted on December 9, 1948, thus Armenia in this sense will present new initiatives.

Speaking about the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Sharmazanov touched upon the two resolutions adopted by Mexico’s parliament of the previous convocation in 2011, stating that they not only were of anti-Armenian nature, but also were directly opposing the assessments of the international community. “The UN has given the mandate of solving this issue to the Co-Chairmanship of the OSCE Minsk Group. We need to take steps in international structures which will not be against to the assessments of the international community. This is a human rights protection issue, rather than a territorial dispute: the people of Artsakh have as much right to live independently as a citizen of any subject of the former USSR”, Sharmazanov said.

Mexican MPs Blanca Margarita Cuata Dominguez and Carlos Hernández Mirón in their remarks supported the principle of exercise of peoples’ right to self-determination.

Blanca Margarita Cuata Dominguez expressed confidence that their visit will give a new impetus and will develop the existing relations between the two countries for which they are ready to do the utmost by using the parliamentary platform. The guests were interested in Armenia’s shifting to a parliamentary system of governance, as well as considered Armenia as a gate in terms of entering the markets of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and other neighbor countries.