ARMENIA’S PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION TO VISIT BELARUS IN FIRST HALF OF 2009

Trend News Agency
Feb 24 2009
Azerbaijan

A parliamentary delegation of Armenia led by Chairman of the
National Assembly Ovik Abramnyan will visit Belarus in first half
of 2009, Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly of Armenia Grair
Karapetyan said during the third session of the Belarusian-Armenian
inter-parliamentary commission for cooperation on February 24,
BelTA reported.

According to Grair Karapetyan, the visit will promote even closer
inter-parliamentary links between the two countries. He noted that the
political contacts between Belarus and Armenia have been developing
quite successfully. The sides have been cooperating both on a bilateral
basis and in the international arena. Belarus and Armenia have signed
more than 60 bilateral treaties, agreements and protocols in all areas,
"The potential is quite sufficient to develop the relations further,"
Grair Karapetyan said.

At the same time, there are many issues that remain unsettled, and
though the existing legal-treaty basis is sufficient for expanding
cooperation, it requires further polishing, Grair Karapetyan said. The
countries have huge potential for boosting cooperation in agriculture,
manufacturing industry, technology, culture and other areas. There
is a need to intensify regional cooperation. Grair Karapetyan, when
meeting with chairmen of the two houses of the Belarusian parliament
on February 23, suggested organizing a special conference to discuss
regional cooperation between Belarus and Armenia.

With a view to intensifying inter-parliamentary links, he suggested
exchanging the lists of the delegations of the two countries accredited
in the international parliamentary organisations. "The work will be
continued in the spirit of mutually beneficial cooperation and will
help bring our nations closer," Grair Karapetyan believes.

For his part, deputy chairman of the House of Representatives of the
National Assembly of Belarus, Valery Ivanov, said that for further
successful development of bilateral cooperation, Belarus and Armenia
need to unify regulations, customs clearance, to intensify interaction
between business and companies. "We have possibilities and desire. The
main point now is to start working," he said.

The key issue on the agenda of the session of inter-parliamentary
commission was energy security of Belarus and Armenia. The commission
also considered the implementation of previous decisions.

The next session will focus on trade, economic and cultural relations
between Belarus and Armenia, military and technological cooperation,
interaction in science, medicine, health care and agriculture industry.