Armenian-Israeli business forum to be held in near future: MPs sum up results of Israel visit

Armenpress News Agency , Armenia
 Friday


Armenian-Israeli business forum to be held in near future: MPs sum up
results of Israel visit



YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 16, ARMENPRESS. The members of the Armenia-Israel
parliamentary friendship group had a lot of meetings in Israel with
quite a busy, loaded agenda, reports Armenpress.

During a four-day trip the delegation members had 15 meetings with the
representatives of the Knesset, government, business, the Armenian
community and the Patriarchate.

Gagik Minasyan, head of the friendship group, told reporters that
their visit coincided with the period when inter-power problems
emerged in Israel. During those days the bill on marking the Armenian
Genocide day was discussed at the Knesset which was submitted by
leader of the Yesh Atid party Yair Lapid.

“We met with Yair Lapid. At the meeting it was stated that the
positive solution of the issue is important not only for the Armenian
people, but also for Israel”, Gagik Minasyan said.

During the Israel visit the Armenian lawmakers also raised the issue
of the Karabakh conflict. Minasyan informed that the Israeli defense
minister sometimes expresses biased views on this issue. “We were told
that the government’s opinion will be clearly presented, and this is
not what is expressed by the defense minister. We stated that there is
the only internationally recognized body, the Minsk Group that deals
with this issue”, he said.

The Armenian parliamentarians also raised the issue of Israel’s
selling weapons to Azerbaijan. “It’s incomprehensible how Jews with
the same fate as Armenians today supply offensive weapons to a
totalitarian country the leader of which with his statements equals
with the leaders of the Nazi Germany, announcing that Yerevan, Sevan
belong to Azerbaijan. The Israeli side said they are selling weapons
to many countries of the world”, Gagik Minasyan said.

The Israeli side asked how Armenia is going to cooperate with their
country at the same time having warm relations with Iran.

“As you know, the Iran-Israel relations are tense. We stated that our
cooperation doesn’t threaten anyone’s security, our cooperation is of
peace nature. I want to add that this position was acceptable for
them”, Gagik Minasyan said.

A number of other meetings were held with different Israeli officials,
specialists.

MP Aghvan Vardanyan said Armenia and Israel have great cooperation
potential. It is planned to hold an Armenian-Israeli business forum in
the future.