Interparliamentary cooperation has been an indispensable and integral part of the political dialogue between Armenia and the European Union (EU).

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian on Wednesday stated the above-said in his address at the plenary meeting of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament, in Brussels.

“The Parliamentary Cooperation Committee provides a productive platform in this regard,” added the Armenian FM. “Its last session has been successfully convened in Yerevan last December. As our country is about to complete its transition to parliamentary system of governance the role of the inter-parliamentary cooperation gains an increased significance.

“Needless to say, that Parliaments stand at the forefront of promotion of democratic values and human rights. Strengthening of democratic institutions has always been among priorities of the Armenia-EU cooperation. The April 2017 Parliamentary elections in Armenia demonstrated that the progress achieved in upholding fundamental freedoms is sustainable and irreversible and we acknowledge the important contribution of the European Union in this regard. We thank the European Parliament for joining the 650 members strong team of international observes in Armenia, which concluded that the parliamentary elections were well administered and fundamental freedoms were respected.

“The European Union on its part stated that the election result reflected the overall will of the Armenian people. We stand ready to continue our cooperation with the European Union, including through the Human Rights Dialogue, as well as with the OSCE ODIHR, Council of Europe and all other partners in implementing their recommendations on further improving the electoral process and strengthening our democracy.”