The 39th sitting of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee between the Republic of Armenia National Assembly (RA NA) and the Federal Assembly of Russia was held in Yerevan on Friday, RA NA informs.

The RA NA President Alen Simonyan delivered welcoming remarks at the opening of the sitting. Underscoring that the Inter-Parliamentary Committee has become an effective platform for open and constructive dialogue between the legislative, executive authorities and representatives of business circles of Armenia and Russia, the RA NA President added: “Today, more than ever, it is important to resist attempts to distort history and preserve historical truth. Parliamentary cooperation plays an important role in this area.” The head of the Armenian parliament assured that this regular meeting will be another step in the deepening and development of cooperation between Armenia and Russia.

In her welcoming remarks, the speaker of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of Russia, Valentina Matvienko, also highlighted the effective activities of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee in the strengthening of cooperation and friendship between the two countries and peoples. According to the speaker of the Russian Federation Council, Russia attaches great importance to interparliamentary cooperation with fraternal Armenia and the Armenian people. Then, Valentina Matvienko spoke about the shared struggle and victory of the peoples of the USSR in building victory. Reference was made also to the steps aimed at intensifying parliamentary cooperation, and the implementation of interregional, cultural and educational programs.

The agenda item of the sitting was “80th Anniversary of Great Victory: Unity in the Protection of Historical Memory for Future Generations.”

In his opening speech the RA NA Vice President, the Co-Chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee Hakob Arshakyan touched upon the Armenian-Russian interparliamentary cooperation, underscored with satisfaction the fact that the work of the Committee is also carried out planned thanks to the regular meetings of dynamic character.

Speaking about the agenda item of the sitting, the RA NA Vice President emphasized the significant role of the Armenian people in the Great Patriotic War, which made a considerable contribution to the victory over fascism, showing outstanding examples of heroism, endurance and selflessness. About 600 thousand Armenians fought in the Soviet army on all fronts—from the Caucasus to Europe. Half of them did not return from the battlefield.

The RA NA Vice President highlighted the importance of supporting initiatives aimed at preserving historical memory. In this regard, he mentioned the international project Memory Train, which unites young people from different countries, giving an opportunity to learn about history, visit memorial complexes, and deeply understand the meaning of victory.

The Deputy Speaker of the Russian Federation Council, the Co-Chair of the Committee Yury Vorobyov, spoke about the festive events being held in Russia during the anniversary year of the victory. “We will always remember the acts of bravery of the fraternal Armenian people. Youth must know the truth about the war, the suffering and acts of bravery of the civilian population,” he underlined.

According to him, the two countries are united not only by shared victory and history, but also the active cooperation in various domains.

According to the Co-Chair, today bilateral relations are developing dynamically in different directions. In this context, Yuri Vorobyov highlighted the importance of interregional cooperation, to which the Inter-Parliamentary Committee pays great attention.

The importance of creating a youth platform within the framework of the Committee was emphasized. The importance of bilateral cooperation, preservation of historical and cultural heritage was discussed. The need to establish long-term peace in the region was emphasized.

At the end of the session, a decision was made to hold the next meeting of the Co-Chairs of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee in Sochi, Russia.