YEREVAN. – Armenia’s National Assembly (NA) Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan on Thursday received French Senate member and Bourg-lès-Valence Mayor Bernard Piras.   

Abrahamyan noted that Piras is recognized in Armenia as a friend of the Armenian people. “You have always been with our compatriots in France and with Armenia and have a great contribution in France’s passing of the law on the recognition of the Armenian Genocide,” the NA head noted, and underscored the need to further develop interparliamentary ties. Also, he highlighted the collaboration between the local self-government agencies of the two countries.   

In his turn, Senator Piras likewise pointed to the need for strengthening relations between Armenia and France, and noted that the objective of his visit to Armenia is to further consolidate interparliamentary ties and the interaction between Bourg-lès-Valence and Armenia’s Talin city.

Also, the interlocutors reflected on the case of Azerbaijani army officer Ramil Safarov, who had axed to death Armenian soldier Gurgen Margaryan in Budapest and who was released in Azerbaijan. NA Speaker expressed a conviction that an equivalent response needs to be given to this occurrence so that it would not become a precedent. He noted that Armenian-hatred is preached in Azerbaijan and this should be sufficient grounds for the international community to comprehend that Nagorno-Karabakh can never be a part of that country.

In his turn, Bernard Piras informed that he was commissioned to prepare a report on Hungary’s respective actions and that the title of his report is: “Hungary has a deficiency of freedom, human rights and European values.” Also, he informed that he had sent a corresponding letter to the Hungarian Ambassador to France.