President of the Republic Vahagn Khachaturyan received the delegation headed by Björn Söder, head of the Sweden-Armenia friendship group of the Swedish Parliament. RA Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Sweden Alexander Arzumanyan, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Paruyr Hovhannisyan, and MP Hripsime Grigoryan participated in the meeting.
Welcoming the guests, the President of the Republic highlighted the dynamic development of Armenian-Swedish inter-parliamentary relations.
“I welcome you to the Republic of Armenia and, of course, to the president’s residence. I take this opportunity to thank you for your active cooperation and support. During these thirty years, Armenian-Swedish relations have experienced their development, which was based on clear principles and values; these are democratic institutions, human rights, and, of course, the preservation of freedoms. I am sure your visit today will contribute to developing relations between our countries. Of course, you will once again have the opportunity to communicate with the country’s leadership and your colleagues. The aim of the government and authorities of the Republic of Armenia is to establish peace in the region and conclude a final peace agreement with Azerbaijan through negotiations,” the president said.
Expressing his gratitude for the reception, Björn Söder noted in his speech. “Thank you for the reception; it is an honor for us to meet you. As you know, we represent the Sweden-Armenia friendship group, which used to be relatively small. After the parliamentary elections, our friendly group was filled with new members. I think this indicates the growing interest in Armenia and the region in Sweden. Of course, we also attach great importance to inter-parliamentary cooperation.”
During the meeting, a wide range of issues related to the agenda of Armenian-Swedish interaction was discussed, as well as the ways and perspectives of closer cooperation between the two countries on the platform of the European Union. In his speech, President Vahagn Khachaturyan referred to the regional realities and informed the Swedish parliamentarians about the Azerbaijani side’s blockade of the Lachin humanitarian corridor for more than three months.
Referring to the prospect of establishing stable and lasting peace in the South Caucasus, the President of the Republic emphasized that Armenia is committed to establishing neighborly relations with its neighbors without preconditions, unblocking communication channels, and opening borders.
