RA NA speaker heading to Istanbul

ArmInfo. Alen Simonyan, Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia, has developed a very respectful relationship with Valentina Matviyenko, Chair of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.  Simonyan himself told reporters on April 14.

According to him, during his meetings with the Speaker of the  Federation Council, open and direct conversations are usually  maintained. Simonyan last spoke with Matviyenko by telephone, during  which he congratulated her on her birthday. The Speaker announced  that he will soon visit

Istanbul, where the 152nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union  will be held. The Speaker will likely also be there, with whom he is  expected to maintain contact. "We're not talking about an official  meeting, but contacts are possible. As of today, I have two meetings  scheduled - with the heads of the parliaments of Georgia and  Azerbaijan," the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of  Armenia emphasized.

Responding to a question about the future of Armenian-Russian  relations, especially in the context of economic cooperation, and in  particular the problems already facing Armenian businesses (the  resumption of the Jermuk mineral water case, the intention to revoke  the Proshyan Brandy Factory's license, etc.), the Speaker merely  stated, "All problematic issues will be discussed." "We do not intend  to fight with Russia on any issue; we will voice all existing  problems and try to resolve them. We pose no threat to the Russian  Federation, and we will not be the party posing such threats. We have  no and never have had any such intentions. All issues with the  Russian Federation also exist in relations with other states; they  sometimes wax and wane, but we, political figures, are here precisely  to discuss and resolve all problems," the Speaker emphasized.  Speaking about Russia's statements about Armenia's impossibility of  joining two associations simultaneously - the EAEU and the EU - the  speaker recalled how, within a single day, third President of the  Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan abruptly reversed his decision to  sign an association agreement with the EU, acceding to the Treaty  Establishing the Eurasian Economic Union. "Do you see the difference  in the statements regarding the EAEU and the EU between Serzh  Sargsyan and Nikol Pashinyan, between Robert Kocharyan and Nikol  Pashinyan? If the 2021 elections had gone differently, you  journalists would now be considered foreign agents and, quite  possibly, would be in prison," the speaker of the Armenian parliament  said.

As a reminder, the 152nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union  will be held in Istanbul from April 15 to 19, 2026. This large-scale  international event will bring together parliamentary delegations  from many countries to discuss pressing issues, including the  participation of representatives from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and  Belarus.