ABDOU DIOUF: PARLIAMENTARY DIPLOMACY MAY PLAY A GREAT ROLE IN PEACEFUL RESOLUTION OF CONFLICTS

YEREVAN
APRIL 7, 2010
NOYAN TAPAN

Speaker of the RA National Assembly Hovik Abrahamian on April 6
received Secretary General of La Francophonie Abdou Diouf.

Expressing a high opinion about the role of parliamentary diplomacy
throughout the world, H. Abrahamian noted that the status of an
associate member of LA Francophonie international organization
allows Armenia to be involved in activities of La Francophonie. "As
a first step, we proposed holding the 2010 forum of European region
in Yerevan. It will take place on May 4-6," the NA speaker said.

In the words of A. Diouf, parliamentary diplomacy may play a great
role in peaceful resolution of conflicts and help solve the problems
existing between nations. In this connection he said: "The Amenian
Genocide remains in our memory. It is a wound that has not healed,
and we have a duty to that memory".

H. Abrahamian said that by condemning each crime, we also prevent
the commission of similar crimes in the world. He informed A. Diouf
about the RA National Assembly’s intention to become a full member
of the Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie.

By the way, thanks to the establishment of cooperation between the
Parliamentary Assembly of Francophonie and the RA National Assembly,
the Armenian parliament became a beneficiary of the NORIA program
in 2010-2013. As a result, the website of the RA National Assembly
will be translated into French, French courses will be organized,
and French-language information will increase.

According to the press service of the RA National Assembly, during
the meeting the sides also discussed the Nagorno Karabakh problem
and the Armenia-Turkey normalization.