Eduard Sharmazanov: Armenia and Artsakh build democracy, while authoritarianism flourishes in Azerbaijan
“Armenia and Artsakh are for the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict in the format of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs on the basis of well-known three principles. The support to those three principles in the statement of the Eastern Partnership Summit is very important: non-use of the force or threat, territorial integrity and exercise of equal rights and self-determination of peoples,” Armenian National Assembly (NA) Deputy Speaker Eduard Sharmazanov stated today with the Deputy Speaker of the Lithuanian Parliament, the Chair of the Committee on European Affairs Gediminas Kirkilas and the Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs Juozas Bernatonis.
As the press department at the National Assembly reported, Sharmazanov said: “The bellicose rhetoric permanently sounding from Azerbaijan is concerning and does not stem from the logic of the peaceful settlement of the conflict. In Armenia and Artsakh, they build democracy, meanwhile the authoritarianism flourishes in Azerbaijan.”
During the meeting, the members of the delegation highly assessed the fact of condemning the Armenian Genocide by Lithuania and underlined that by now Lithuania is the only Baltic country that has recognized the Armenian Genocide. The delegation expressed gratitude to the Deputy Speaker for the organization of the exhibition dedicated to the Centenary of the Armenian Genocide in Vilnius Genocide Museum by the support of the Lithuanian Parliament and Gediminas Kirkilas, the source said.
In the course of the meeting the sides highlighted the continuous development of the Armenian-Lithuanian parliamentary relations and the cooperation of the delegations in the inter-parliamentary structures.
Sharmazanov touched upon the RA-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership signed on November 24, noting that Armenia would continue going on through democratic reforms and development.
“The continuity of the political dialogue with the EU is one of the important directions of the RA political agenda. Armenia is the only EEU country which has signed such an Agreement with the European Union. It gives an opportunity to be a bridge between the EU and EEU,” Eduard Sharmazanov said.