ARMENIA EMPHASIZES THE DEVELOPMENT OF MULTIFACETED TIES WITH SWITZERLAND

armradio.am
08.10.2008 17:12

President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan today received the Members of
the Switzerland-Armenia parliamentary group of the Federal Assembly
of the Swiss Confederation headed by Christine Egerszegi-Obrist.

The President emphasized the importance of the development of
multifaceted ties with Switzerland and noted with appreciation that
a rather interesting agenda of bilateral cooperation has been formed
over the past years.

According to Serzh Sargsyan, the establishment of the diplomatic
representation of Switzerland will become an important step for the
further reinforcement of collaboration.

"We aim at European values, and our objective is to have Armenia become
a contemporary, powerful country, where the citizen will feel safe and
protected," the President underscored. He attached special importance
to the role of parliamentary ties in the development of Armenian-Swiss
cooperation and expressed gratitude for the recognition of the Armenian
Genocide by the National Assembly of Switzerland in 2003.

The Head of the Switzerland-Armenia parliamentary group noted that
the two peoples are carriers of a similar culture, the two countries
have nearly the same relief, are not rich in natural resources,
have no access to the sea, but have beliefs, capabilities and
knowledge. According to the Swiss Deputy, "the recognition of the
Armenian G enocide became a unique starting point, which originated
from the past and is targeted towards future."

President Sargsyan welcomed Switzerland’s balanced position on sensible
issues of our country. Regarding the Karabakh issue, he said: "Our
objective is to reach the peaceful resolution of the issue based on
mutual concessions, taking into consideration the historical realities,
and primarily, the future of people."

Turning to Armenian-Turkish relations, the President once again stated
that the Armenian side is ready to establish relations with Turkey
without preconditions, and afterwards discuss the existing issues.

The interlocutors dwelt on Armenian-Swiss programs implemented in
different spheres.