RA NA SPEAKER HOVIK ABRAHAMIAN MEETS WITH IRI PRESIDENT IN TEHRAN: RA AND IRI PARLIAMENT SPEAKERS SIGN MEMORANDUM OF MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING

NOYAN TAPAN
OCTOBER 1, 2009
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 1, NOYAN TAPAN. RA NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamian within
the framework of his official visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran
(IRI), on September 30, met with IRI President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
and National Assembly Speaker of Iraq Ayad al-Samara, as well as
visited national institutions of Iranian Armenians and met with
Armenian community’s representatives.

According to a report by the RA NA Public Relations Department, RA NA
Speaker met with IRI President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the September
30 evening. Conveying RA President’s warm greetings to his Iranian
counterpart Mr Abrahamian expressed Armenian side’s satisfaction with
Armenian-Iranian warm relations and development of cooperation. In that
context the RA NA Speaker appreciated the role of the two countries’
parliaments in expanding and strengthening the cooperation.

The interlocutors also discussed the agreements reached between
the two countries’ Presidents during RA President Serzh Sargsyan’s
official visit to IRI in April and issues regarding implementation of
programs they had outlined paying a special attention to the project
of a new railway connecting Armenia and Iran. The sides discussed
steps to be taken to implement those programs. They also in detail
discussed issues of regional security.

Before meeting with the IRI President the RA NA delegation visited the
IRI parliament where RA and IRI parliament Speakers Hovik Abrahamian
and Ali Larijani signed a Memorandum of Mutual Understanding.

In the midday of September 30 the RA NA Speaker met with Iraqi National
Assembly Speaker Ayad al-Samara, who was also in Tehran on a visit. Mr
Abrahamian mentioned traditional warm relations between the peoples
of Armenia and Iraq and proposed activizing contacts that had stopped
because of the 2003 crisis in Iraq. The parliament Speaker of Iraq
accepted the proposal. He appreciated the role of the Iraqi Armenian
community in his country’s life mentioning that naturally it can
contribute to contacts between the two countries.

In the September 30 morning the delegation led by the RA NA Speaker
visited the tomb of IRI founder imam Khomeyni. A ceremony of laying
flowers took place there with Mr Abrahamian’s participation, then
the RA NA Speaker made notes in the register of guests of honor. The
same day RA NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamian visited the Cathedral of the
Armenian Diocese in Tehran, St Sargis church. He laid flowers to the
memorial for Armenian Genocide victims, then met with representatives
of the Iranian Armenian community.

Touching upon the issue of normalizing the Armenian-Turkish relations
Mr Abrahamian, in particular, said: "We understand the anxiety of
our brothers and sisters of Diaspora. I assure you that the Armenian
authorities will never permit dependence of the process of recognition
of the Armenian Genocide on normalization of the Armenian-Turkish
relations. Conditioning those relations by the Nagorno Karabakh
settlement is also inadmissible. The issues of recognition of Armenian
Genocide and free self-determination of Artsakh people are not subject
to bargaining."

A reception on the occasion of the 18th anniversary of RA Independence
took place on September 30 at Tehran’s Ararat sports and cultural
complex. The RA NA delegation also took part in the reception. RA NA
Speaker Hovik Abrahamian gave a speech during the event.

The delegation led by the RA NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamian returned to
Yerevan early in the October 1 morning.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress