Dear President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia,
Dear colleagues,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of the deputies and the staff of the Republic of Artsakh of the National Assembly, I am happy to welcome the Chairman of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, Mr. Ara Babloyan, and the members of the delegation headed by him. It is an honor for all of us to receive our colleagues in the parliament of the second Armenian Republic and congratulate them on success in the recent parliamentary elections and with the election of the 6th convocation to the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia.

In Artsakh, all the events taking place in Armenia are closely followed, perceive any victory and success are perceived with great enthusiasm.

I am confident that the parliamentary elections held in April, distinguished by their high level of organization and transparency, will give a new impetus to the priorities of state construction and will become the basis for further development and strengthening of democracy in Armenia.

Of course, it should be noted that in parallel with the political processes taking place in Armenia, a number of important events took place in Artsakh, among which, in particular, the referendum on the adoption of the Constitution of the Republic of Artsakh which took place in February 20, 2017, should be highlighted.

The new Constitution is designed to expand the human and civil rights, ensure an effective system of state administration and guarantee maximum flexibility of constitutional regulation, thus strengthening the viability and stable development of Artsakh as an independent state.

By the way, I cannot but note that these important political developments have interrupted for some time the meetings of the Armenia-Artsakh Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Commission. It would be fair to say that during this period, many MPs, factions and commissions of the Armenian parliament visited Artsakh, visited the front line and held a number of discussions on the Karabakh settlement at various international and parliamentary platforms.

I think it is would be superfluous to recall that most of these visits and meetings were held in April 2016 and immediately after that.

Dear colleagues,

I want to note with satisfaction the fact that from the first years of independence strong parliamentary and business ties have been formed between the two Armenian republics,, which were later brought to the level of institutional relations and secured by an agreement on cooperation between the parliaments of the two fraternal states.

I would like to mention the fact that since the first years of independence between the two republics the solid and business contacts have been formed, the balance of political forces in the parliament has changed, the chairmen of the National Assembly have changed and the format of interaction has been improved. But one thing has remained constant - parliamentary relations between Armenia and Artsakh are inseparable, prioritized and special.

Paying due tribute to the devoted efforts of the staff and members of the parliaments of all convocations, I consider it appropriate to emphasize that In short, we managed to reach a high level for the implementation of legislative, political and representational duties stemming from the status of those elected by the people.

It is illustrated by the activities of the committees of the legislative bodies and standing committees of the two countries, mutual visits on urgent topics, previously agreed agenda of various meetings and discussions.

During these years of working together, good and enduring traditions have been formed, which even more enriched with every passing meeting.

I am confident that at this stage of our activity we will continue to remain faithful to these traditions and improve the existing mechanisms for regulating relations in the name of strengthening Armenian statehood and realizing our national aspirations. This prehistory does not mean summing up, maybe even a reminder of the upcoming actions. At present, when the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia resumed its work after the next elections, I think it is a convenient opportunity to update the agenda of our dialogue with a view to deepening cooperation.

I am sure that this intention prompted Ara Babloyan, an old friend of Artsakh, to make his first visit after being elected President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia.

I am confident about this, being aware that a few days ago during the formation of friendship groups and inter-parliamentary commissions in the Armenian Parliament, Mr. Babloyan took over the co-chairmanship in the Armenia-Artsakh inter-parliamentary commission, thereby confirming his desire and readiness to continue the best traditions.

I want to welcome all the members of the delegation from Armenia and convey the floor to the head of the delegation, the Head of the National Assembly of Armenia, Ara Babloyan.