YEREVAN. – An Armenian National Assembly (NA) delegation, led by NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan, on Thursday kicked off its official visit to Uruguay.

The delegation is in Uruguay at the invitation of Vice President Danilo Astori, who is also Speaker of the Senate of Uruguay. 

Abrahamyan met with Astori, the NA press service informs. 

The Vice President of Uruguay expressed confidence that this visit by the Armenian delegation will give new impulse to Armenian-Uruguayan relations. 

“Uruguay is always at Armenia’s side,” the Uruguayan Senate leader said, in particular. He also highly appreciated the role of the Armenian community of Uruguay in the strengthening of Armenian-Uruguayan ties.

Reflecting on the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide, Danilo Astori specifically said: “I am confident that if we do not remember the past, a future cannot be built.”    

For his part, Hovik Abrahamyan expressed a conviction that the Armenian parliament speaker’s first-ever official visit to Uruguay will be of importance in terms of strengthening bilateral relations and developing cooperation.   

“We have warm and friendly relations between the two countries, but we need to combine efforts in order to find new domains for cooperation,” the NA speaker said.   

“Disregarding atrocities such as [the Armenian Genocide] play a part in their repeat,” he added.     

Reflecting on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, Abrahamyan stressed that Armenia sees this matter’s resolution solely within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group, and as a result of peace talks.

In turn, the Uruguay vice president noted that his country likewise favors a peaceful settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.   

“The freedom, culture and traditions of the people living on that land should be respected,” Astori added.

The interlocutors also discussed other matters of mutual interest.

Hovik Abrahamyan invited Danilo Astori to an official visit to Armenia, and the Uruguayan official gladly accepted the invitation.

In addition, Hovik Abrahamyan signed the guestbook, and his delegation toured the General Assembly of Uruguay.  

On the same day, the Armenian parliamentary delegation visited the Armenia Square in capital city Montevideo, and they laid a wreath and placed flowers to the Armenian Genocide monument. 

In addition, Hovik Abrahamyan spoke with representatives of the local Armenian community.