YEREVAN. - Tajikistani President Emomali Rahmon on Wednesday visited the National Assembly (NA) of Armenia.

The meeting was attended by the heads and representatives of parliamentary factions.

Welcoming the Tajikistani President, Speaker of the NA Ara Babloyan noted that he is pleased to host the president of friendly Tajikistan within the framework of the 25th anniversary of the Armenian-Tajikistani diplomatic relations.

Babloyan stressed that the Armenian-Tajikistani relations are currently developing in all directions and Armenia is interested in deepening them, stemming from the interests and benefits of the two countries. 

He also underscored the importance of the parliamentary diplomacy and role of friendship groups in the establishment and development of bilateral relations.

Apart from this, the Speaker attached importance to the treatment of the Tajikistani authorities and people towards the Armenian community living in the country.

Babloyan lauded the approach of the Tajikistani President to peacefully solving the issues his country faces, expressing hope that the Armenian-Tajikistani friendly relations will also impact the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, their views being in line with that of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing states.

In this context, the Armenian official noted: “It is a different thing when a soldier dies during the war, in the battlefield. But when the youths die in peaceful time, this is simply a murder.”

Tajikistani President Emomali Rahmon, for his part, congratulated Ara Babloyan on the occasion of being elected an NA speaker and wished him fruitful work.

He also noted that since the establishment of independence, the relations between the two countries have been positively developing, currently there being all the conditions for deepening them.

According to Rahmoni, the political dialogue between Armenia and Tajikistan is on a high level, the cooperation developing in the sphere of science, health, economy and culture.

Referring to the latest geopolitical developments and the situation in the region, Emomali Rahmon noted that Tajikistan is in a dangerous zone, the Tajik people knowing the price of peace very well. Referring to the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Tajikistani President noted that the talks round the peaceful settlement of the conflict are the only way for resolving the conflict.

In Rahmon’s words, the countries should develop their cooperation in all the spheres possible and overcome the challenges together.

Afterwards, the Tajikistani President made a note in the honorary guestbook of the NA.

By the end of the meeting, Emomali Rahmon invited the parliamentary delegation to Tajikistan. The invitation was accepted with pleasure.