On 4 April, Speaker of the Parliament of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan received the delegation led by Vice-Chairwoman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China Shen Yueyue.

Welcoming the guests to the National Assembly, Ararat Mirzoyan highly appreciated the current level of Armenian-Chinese relations and stated that Armenia is one of Armenia’s major partners.

“Armenia views the relations with China as one of its foreign policy priorities,” the parliamentary speaker stated. In this context, he emphasized the role of inter-parliamentary relations, of the activities of the parliamentary friendship groups and reciprocal visits.

Presenting Armenia’s approach to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the parliamentary speaker highly appreciated China’s balanced position on the issue and its support to the peaceful settlement of the conflict. According to Mirzoyan, Armenia has supported and will continue to support the One China principle.

Touching upon the regional and international programs initiated by China, particularly the Great Silk Road and the Belt and Road Initiative, Mirzoyan stated that Armenia has welcomed and is ready to show active participation in the activities that are being carried out.

Ararat Mirzoyan congratulated the Chinese people on the 40th anniversary of the launch of implementation of the policy on the reforms and liberalization proclaimed by Deng Xiaoping and the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the People’s Republic of China.

Expressing gratitude for the reception, Shen Yueyue congratulated Ararat Mirzoyan on being elected Speaker of the National Assembly and conveyed the kind wishes of her colleagues. According to Yueyue, Armenia is China’s key partner in the CIS region and is willing to deepen partnership. She also highlighted the importance of inter-parliamentary cooperation.

The parties discussed a broad range of issues related to the Armenian-Chinese partnership. In this context, they highly valued the cultural and educational programs that China is carrying out in Armenia.

The parties also recorded the existing potential in tourism and construction. In this sense, importance was attached to the process of ensuring direct air communication and visa liberalization.