STEPANAKERT. - The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) National Assembly (NA) Chairman Ashot Ghoulian today received Armenian NA Deputy Chairman Eduard Sharmazanov, Greek deputy and head of the Greek- Armenian Friendship Group Garyfallia Kanelli, Latvian Saeima MP and head of the Latvian-Armenian Friendship Group Sergejs Potapkins, Armenian NA MP Gegik Melikyan and the Ambassador of Armenia to Greece Gagik Ghalachyan.

The meeting was also attended by the NKR NA Speaker Vahram Balayan and President of the NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations Arzik Mkhitaryan.

Ashot Ghoulian highly appreciated the visit of the Greek and Latvian deputies to Artsakh exactly on these days, stressing that they are the first foreign deputies to have visited Artsakh following the large-scale military operations initiated by Azerbaijani on the Karabakh-Azerbaijani border in the beginning of April.

Referring to the situation on the frontline, Ghoulian noted: “The large-scale aggression launched by Azerbaijan on April 2-5 has in no way changed our stance. On the contrary, it has reconfirmed our objective to strengthen our independent, sovereign and democratic state”.

For his part, Armenian NA Deputy Chairman Eduard Sharmazanov noted that this short war has once again come to prove the inexorability of the Artsakh people and all Armenians in the struggle for freedom and independence.

The Greek MP Garyfallia Kanelli noted that their visit was a parliamentary obligation. He qualified the April developments as a crisis not only in the area of human rights, but also globally. In his words, they will do their best so that no more lives are sacrificed for other’s benefits.

For his part, Latvian MP Sergejs Potapkins attached importance to the circumstance that the Artsakh people aren’t alone and that they have supporters in Europe, who will do their best for the conflict to be solved peacefully.

During the exchange of thoughts, Ghoulian briefed the European MPs on the history of Artsakh Liberation Struggle and responded to their question regarding the international recognition of Karabakh and ensuring the security of Artsakh people.