Armenian Parliament Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan received President of Swiss Confederation Micheline Calmy-Rey on Thursday to discuss the issues related to strengthening and development of relations between the states.

Hovik Abrahamyan noted that the states have strengthened relations over the recent years and the evidence thereof is opening of the Swiss embassy in Armenia. Armenian Speaker gave appraisal of Switzerland’s mediation between Armenia and Turkey.  

Micheline Calmy-Rey said Switzerland is grateful to Armenia for granting it mediator’s role in Armenian-Turkish reconciliation process. She pointed out Armenia’s political courage to initiate and sign protocols on normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations, parliament’s press service informed Armenian News-NEWS.am. Calmy-Rey said Switzerland considers South Caucasus an important region and therefore is carrying out mediation between different states.

In October 2009 Armenia and Turkey signed protocols in Zurich to normalize diplomatic relations between the states. The documents had to be ratified in both countries’ parliaments. However, in 2010 the Armenian president suspended the process due to Turkey’s non-constructive stance. Ankara set preconditions and linked the reconciliation process to resolution of the Karabakh conflict.