YEREVAN. – Armenia’s National Assembly (NA) Deputy Speaker Eduard Sharmazanov received Greek Ambassador Ioannis Taghis on Friday. 

Sharmazanov congratulated the ambassador for starting his diplomatic mission in Armenia and expressed a hope that, during his tenure, the diplomat will contribute to further developing Armenian-Greek ties, NA press service informs.

In his turn, Ambassador Taghis linked the developing bilateral relations with the Armenian and Greek people’s friendship, civilizational commonalities, and their communities in one another’s countries.

Subsequently, they discussed the prospects for developing interparliamentary ties, Greece’s potential assistance to Armenia in the European integration process, and regional security issues.

The NA Deputy Speaker extended his thanks for Greece’s steps taken toward recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide and for the country’s balanced approach with respect to the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. He assured that Armenia favors resolving the Karabakh conflict through peace talks and within the framework of international norms, but Azerbaijan refuses to end its racist policy whose latest expression was its release of Ramil Safarov, the Azerbaijani army officer who had killed with an axe Armenian soldier Gurgen Margaryan in Budapest back in 2004.    

In his turn, Ambassador Ioannis Taghis assured that Greece will continue to support the Karabakh issue’s settlement within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group and by way of peace talks, and stated that it was a big mistake on the part of Azerbaijan to release Safarov.     

Also, the interlocutors reflected on Armenia’s presidential elections to be held next February. Eduard Sharmazanov underscored these elections in terms of developing democracy in the country, and assured that the authorities will do everything so that the elections meet the standards of democracy. “Armenia is determined in terms of democratic reforms and their continuation,” the NA Deputy Speaker said.