On 10 April, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia Lena Nazaryan received the delegation led by Minister of Defense and Armed Forces of the Czech Republic Lubomir Metnar. Chair of the Standing Committee on Defense and Security Affairs of the National Assembly of Armenia Andranik Kocharyan was also attending the meeting.

As the National Assembly of Armenia told Armenian News-NEWS.am, Lubomir Metnar congratulated the Armenian people on the first anniversary of the velvet revolution, stating that this year the Czech Republic is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its velvet revolution.

The minister stated that Armenia is the Czech Republic’s key partner in the South Caucasus and expressed certainty that his meetings will prepare ground for the deepening of cooperation in the future.

With satisfaction, Lena Nazaryan emphasized that there has been more active political dialogue over the past years and that this is also the result of the active efforts of the parliaments and parliamentarians. The deputy parliamentary speaker informed that the parliament has already established the Armenia-Czech Republic Parliamentary Friendship Group.

“It is important for our colleagues to have, within international organizations, a balanced position on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which is of vital significance for Armenia. We see the settlement of the conflict exclusively through peace and in the format of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs,” Lena Nazaryan said.

In this context, Lubomir Metnar emphasized that the Czech Republic supports the settlement of conflicts exclusively through peaceful negotiations and highlighted the fact that the country supports the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs.

Talking about international recognition of the Armenian Genocide, Lena Nazaryan emphasized the Czech parliament’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide in 2017 and highly appreciated Metnar’s visit to Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide memorial.

Touching upon ratification of the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement, the deputy parliamentary speaker voiced hope that the Czech Republic will ratify it completely soon.

Metnar asked about the discussion on democratic oversight in the armed forces of the Republic of Armenia held by the National Assembly. Andranik Kocharyan provided details and highly appreciated the speeches of the Czech representatives. He also highly appreciated the Czech minister’s visit to Armenia, especially in the context of the signing of an agreement on military-technical cooperation between the two countries. According to the MP, Armenia, being a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, attaches importance to cooperation with NATO within the scope of the Individual Partnership Action Plan.