Vice-speaker of the Republic of Armenia National Assembly (RA NA) chair of the NA Armenia-India Friendship Group, Hakob Arshakyan, on Tuesday met with the Member of Lok Sabha of the Parliament of India, the Founder of Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIT), the Professor Achyuta Samanta, and the Director of International Relations Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences & Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Varun Suthra.

Welcoming the guests in Parliament, Arshakyan noted that Armenia attaches importance and highly appreciates the warm friendly relations with India, the NA informs Armenian News-NEWS.am.

“Inter-parliamentary cooperation, which has always been on high level, has a key role in the development of cooperation between our states. Armenia-India Friendship group, acting in the National Assembly, which I have the honor to lead, is traditionally one of the largest groups,” Arshakyan noted.

He informed that he had recently taken part in the 8th international conference Raisina Dialogue held in the capital of India New Delhi.

“I am impressed by the visit, during which I also met with Mr. Om Birla, the Honorable Speaker of the Lok Sabha of the Indian Parliament. A range of productive and constructive meetings were also held during the visit. I have to say that the visit was quite significant, during which a number of issues of mutual interest were discussed” the Chair of the Friendship Group said,  adding that Armenia is deeply concerned about deepening relations with India in all spheres.

Hakob Arshakyan expressed hope that the visit of the Professor Achyuta Samanta will also, among many programs, contribute to the implementation of new inter-university events and programs in the field of education between the two countries. According to the NA Vice President, Armenia and India cooperate effectively in the field of education. Indian students study at Yerevan State Medical University, Armenian National Agrarian University, National Polytechnic University of Armenia.

The Founder of Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) and Kalinga Institute of Social Science (KISS) Achyuta Samanta thanked for the warm welcome. He highlighted the importance of interaction between the Parliaments of the two countries, which is aimed at strengthening the friendship of the Armenian and Indian peoples.

Hakob Arshakyan presented the consequences of the war unleashed by Azerbaijan in 2020, the situation in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. He spoke about the ongoing aggressive actions by Azerbaijan, the humanitarian crisis caused by the illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor, mentioning that Armenia has no territorial claims against its neighbors and the Armenian Government has adopted a policy of peaceful agenda in the region.

Professor Achyuta Samanta presented the activities of the advanced professional training centers - Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology and Social Sciences.