Republican Party of Armenia

 On September 27 the press conference of the delegation, led by the RA NA Vice President Eduard Sharmazanov, which had left for the Czech Republic on an official visit from September 22-26 at an invitation of Miluše Horská, the Vice President of the Senate of the Czech Republic was held, and the members of the delegation presented the details and results of the visit.

The Head of the delegation Eduard Sharmazanov, assessing the visit effective, noted that the parliamentary delegation had had meetings with the President of the Senate, the Vice President of the Senate of the Czech Republic, the Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament, the Spiritual Leader of the Czech Republic, the Governor of Moravian-Silesian Land, the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Czech Republic, the representatives of the Commission on EU of the Senate, the Czech Republic-Armenia Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group, the Mayor of Prague, the Armenian community and other officials. He thanked the delegation led by him and the RA Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Czech Republic Tigran Seyranyan for the united and pro-governmental position.

The Vice President has informed the journalists that during all the meetings they have raised the issue of explosion of the Der Zor Saint Martyrs’ Armenian Church. The Spiritual Leader of the Czech Republic Dominik Cardinal Duka has been one of the firsts who has condemned the explosion of the Saint Martyrs’ Armenian Church. The members of the Senate and Chambers of Deputies of the Czech Republic have also severely condemned that barbarous action.

Mr Sharmazanov has noted that the delegation during the meetings both in the Senate and in the Chamber of Deputies has raised the issue of condemnation of the Armenian Genocide, and in response to that the Czech deputies in the Czech Parliament have expressed readiness of raising the issue of making a statement. The Armenian deputies invited the Czech counterparts to take part in the events to be organized ahead of the centenary of the Armenian Genocide. Mr Sharmazanov informed the attendees that an agreement was reached on presenting a number of exhibits of the Armenian Genocide Museum in the Chamber of Deputies under the aegis of the Committee on Mediations ahead of the centenary of the Armenian Genocide.

Eduard Sharmazanov has highlighted that the Czech Republic sees the solution of the NK problem through peaceful settlement within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group. During the meetings the Armenian side has presented the example of holding referendum of independence in Scotland recently. The Czech side has agreed that double standards are inadmissible, and on the basis of the NK problem settlement should be the recognition of the right to self-determination of the Nagorno Karabakh people and the execution of that right, which is an undeniable fact.

The delegation member Margarit Yesayan, in particular, has touched upon the efforts of the RA Ambassador to the Czech Republic and the tangible results in the development of the Armenian-Czech relations. Margarit Yesayan has noted that during the meetings an agreement has been reached to jointly work in the international structures. She informed those present that during the meeting with the Czech Cardinal the issue of opening an Armenian Church and a school had been discussed.

The delegation member Tatshat Vardapetyan was also impressed by the visit. He characterized the visit as an unprecedented achievement of the parliamentary diplomacy. Mr Vardapetyan expressed conviction that the Czech Republic would express its position on the eve of the centenary of the Genocide, which will be effective and pro-Armenian.

The delegation member Artsvik Minasyan touched upon the discussions concerning the implementation of the investment programmes and expressed hope that parliamentarians, the Government and businessmen would have their contribution in further developing the Armenian-Czech relations.