YEREVAN. - Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan today received the Parliamentary Delegation of Belgium.

Welcoming the guests and their visit to Armenia, Sargsyan attached great importance to the role of the inter-parliamentary diplomacy in strengthening of interstate ties.

He stressed that Armenia is eager to further strengthen the friendly relations with Belgium which are based on a number of important circumstances: 100 years ago Belgium granted asylum to the survivors of the Armenian Genocide, whose generations currently continue to live and create in that country.

According to the President, Belgium can serve a good example for Armenia due to its well-developed economy, the country’s territory being almost equal to that of Belgium. He also said Armenia perceives Belgium as an exemplary model of development.

Sargsyan highly appreciated the adoption of the Resolution on the acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide by Belgium’s Senate in 1998. He also underscored the importance of Belgium’s PM Charles Michel in June, as well as the adoption of the Resolution on the acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide by the Chamber of Representatives, by which Belgium completed the acknowledgement process.

The President also highly appreciated Belgium’s balanced stance on Karabakh conflict, which is in line with EU’s common stance. He welcomed the eagerness of the MPs to visit Karabakh and get impartial information on the conflict right on the ground, seeing the country and talking to the local residents.

Belgium MPs stressed they are also united by several important issues, among which is the work carried out for the acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide acknowledgement in their parliament in 2015, as well as their common wish to visit Karabakh.  

The MPs also inquired about the process of constitutional changes in Armenia.