YEREVAN, JULY 11, ARMENPRESS. The 35th session of the inter-parliamentary commission on cooperation between the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia and the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation was held on July 11 in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, under the chairmanship of the Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation Yuri Vorobyov and the Vice president of the National Assembly of Armenia Hakob Arshakyan.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the parliament of Armenia, in his welcome speech, Hakob Arshakyan emphasized the historical nature and special significance of traditional friendly relations between Armenia and Russia, based on centuries-old friendship and cooperation.

According to the Vice-President of the Armenian parliament, the Armenian-Russian parliamentary cooperation contributes to the development of allied relations between the two countries.

"The effective work of the interparliamentary commission on cooperation between the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia and the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation gives a special tone to bilateral relations. Year by year, our committee expands its activities, becoming one of the most important factors of parliamentary cooperation," stressed Hakob Arshakyan.

According to him, despite the difficulties and challenges of the modern world, the economic ties between Armenia and Russia continue to remain traditionally strong. "Russia occupies the first place in the list of trade partners of Armenia," stated the Vice President of the National Assembly.

The Vice President of the National Assembly addressed the issue of the Upper Lars checkpoint, noting that it is the only land checkpoint on the Russian-Georgian border that connects the two countries. “Unfortunately, in the last few months, we again encountered the problem of crossing the checkpoint. The damage was further tangible during the harvest season, which the producers and transporters faced," he said. Hakob Arshakyan emphasized that the Armenian National Assembly put forward the initiative to take the issue under parliamentary control and contribute to the solution of this problem. He expressed hope that with the efforts of parliamentarians, the problem of queues of heavy vehicles will receive a lasting solution.

The positions of our countries on fundamental international issues are close or coincide. Russia is one of Armenia's important strategic partners in the international arena," Hakob Arshakyan emphasized.

Concluding the speech, the Vice President of the National Assembly assured that the commission's work will be effective and its results will strengthen the strategic partnership and cooperation between Armenia and Russia.

Yuri Vorobyov, Deputy Speaker of the Council of the Federation of the Russian Federation, referred to the role of the Armenian Diaspora in Russia, the prospects for the development of economic and humanitarian relations between the two countries. According to him, about three million Armenians living in Russia contribute to the country's social life and economic progress. Yuri Vorobyov added that Russia's share in Armenia's foreign trade balance is also large. during the past year, the bilateral trade turnover exceeded 2.5 billion US dollars, an increase of almost 13 percent.

The participants of the session discussed issues related to the development of Armenian-Russian economic cooperation, as well as the role of the diaspora in the development of economic, cultural and educational bilateral ties. Reference was made to the cooperation between Armenia and Russia within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union, including in the direction of accelerating the pace of information technology development and digitization.

The parties agreed to continue the work in the direction of developing possible mechanisms of support for the Armenian and Russian communities, to use the resources in the promotion of cultural interaction. The parties attached importance to the study of the Russian language in Armenia and the Armenian language in Russia, as well as to the activation of business contacts. The parties will support the initiative of creating a common digital platform for science and education, which is aimed at the accelerated and long-term development of personnel and technological potential.

At the suggestion of Hakob Arshakyan, the 36th session of the interparliamentary commission on Armenian-Russian cooperation will be held in Tsaghkadzor, Armenia.