Within the framework of his official visit to Russia, Speaker of Armenia’s Parliament Alen Simonyan gave an exclusive interview to the leading Russian RBK TV channel.
During the extensive conversation with Ilya Doronov, Alen Simonyan referred to the allied nature of the Armenian-Russian relations, the agreements reached during the meetings with high-ranking Russian officials. He spoke about the steps taken to establish peace in the region and the ways to overcome the 44-day war. The head of the Parliament stressed that the Armenian side is not in favor of military solutions, the issues should be resolved peacefully.
Below are some excerpts from the interview.
“It is very important that the first foreign visit took place to a country that is an ally of the Republic of Armenia. For me personally, it was very important to come to Moscow first. I think the visit is absolutely successful,” said Alen Simonyan, adding that during the meetings he offered to find concrete solutions to the problems.
An agreement has been reached to discuss the positions in the international arena to some extent beforehand in order to work more harmoniously.
In the conversation with the Parliament Speaker, the author of the TV program asked about overcoming the post-war consequences in our country.
“It is difficult to revive when we hear about prisoners of war every day, when relatives are waiting for their children, brothers and spouses. It is very difficult when every month Turkey and Azerbaijan hold military exercises in the region, literally a few kilometers away,” he said.
Touching upon the regional issues and possible contacts with Azerbaijan, the Parliament Speaker stated; “It is extremely difficult to imagine the peaceful coexistence of the two peoples in a situation when, for example, in Baku, the so-called ‘trophy parks’ are being built, mannequins of burning or killed Armenian soldiers are being displayed.”
They exchanged views on the November 9 announcement and the events of the following period. The Parliament Speaker spoke about the destructive attitude of Azerbaijan, the Armenian prisoners of war held in that country and the immediate return of the captives and missing persons.
“Azerbaijani soldiers are in the territory of Armenia. We offered to withdraw the in the mirror principle until the borders are clarified, but the Azerbaijani side has not done so yet. These are important issues along with the return of the captives,” said Alen Simonyan.
They also referred to the post-war Armenia and the snap parliamentary elections aimed at resolving the political crisis.
