YEREVAN, DECEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. The working visit of the delegation led by the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia, the Head of the Armenia-Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia Parliamentary Friendship Group Eduard Sharmazanov to Lithuania continues. The delegation is comprised of MPs Samvel Farmanyan and Suren Manukyan. On December 13, the parliamentary delegation met with the Speaker of the Seimas (parliament) of Lithuania Viktoras Pranckietis.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the parliament of Armenia, the members of the parliament highlighted the development of the inter-parliamentary cooperation, and in this context the role and importance of the Friendship Groups functioning in the parliaments of the two countries. The level of the bilateral political dialogue of the last years and the progress recorded in the sphere of economic cooperation was positively assessed. The Armenian delegates emphasized the signing of the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Agreement on November 24, noting that it could open a new page in the development of the Armenia-EU dialogue.

“We expect that Lithuania as the first state that has recognized the independence of Armenia in the world will be the first also to ratify as quick as possible and without artificial procrastination the Armenia -EU Agreement,” Eduard Sharmazanov said.

The Deputy Speaker of the Armenian parliament underlined with satisfaction the fact that Lithuania is the only country among the Baltic countries which has recognized the Armenian Genocide. He highly assessed the Lithuanian parliamentarians’ political and civil position in the recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

Touching upon the process of the reforms going on in our country, the Head of the parliamentary delegation of Armenia noted that the development of democracy, the fight against corruption are the most important issues of the political agenda of Armenia, and in that aspect, with all international assessments Armenia and Azerbaijan are incompatible.

Eduard Sharmazanov also referred to the Nagorno Karabakh problem, reaffirming the position of the Armenian side to solve the conflict exclusively through peaceful negotiations – in the format of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship.

“Any attempt of the military solution of the problem, bellicose rhetoric, as well as the existence of the ‘black lists’ by Azerbaijan are inadmissible. They don’t promote the establishment of peace in the region. The solution of the problem is impossible without the complete exercise of the right of the Artsakh people to self-determination. Artsakh has become independent from the USSR on the same legal basis, as Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. The citizens of Artsakh have the same right of building a state, as the citizens of Lithuania, Latvia, Armenia and Azerbaijan,” Mr Sharmazanov said.

The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Armenia to Lithuania Tigran Mkrtchyan also attended the meeting.