RA NA Speaker: Armenia remains faithful to goals declared by BSEC 

ArmInfo.The delegation led by the RA NA President Alen Simonyan is in Ankara within the framework  of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC).

As the press service of the RA NA reports, Simonyan gave a speech at  30th Anniversary Summit of the Speakers of Parliaments. The speech is  fully presented:

"Dear Mr Chair.

Dear Colleagues,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Yesterday in Belgrade a tragedy took place, I offer my condolences to  my Serbian colleague and again express support to the Government of  Turkey and the people for dozens of thousands human losses during  February 6 devastating earthquake. In Armenia they know very well  what is earthquake, and our country was among the first ones to  respond to the disaster, sending humanitarian assistance and rescue  group to the disaster zone.

It is very positive that the humanitarian cargo crossed the land  border from Armenia to Turkey through Margara bridge which had been  closed for 30 years.

From the previous year Armenia and Turkey have begun normalization  process of relations, in the frames of which certain achievements  have been succeeded to record, but the unsolved problems are still  many. We hope that in the near future it will be possible not only  having humanitarian cargos crossing the land border, but open it for  international traffic and trade.

Dear participants of the Summit, 30 years ago, the parliaments of our  countries have assumed to carry out their peoples' hopes and  expectations and confirmed their resoluteness to make use of all  opportunities for expanding the cooperation in different spheres and  levels between the countries of the region. Today, those expectations  remain as just up-to-date.

As founding member of the organization, Armenia reaffirms its  commitment to the full use of the Assembly potential, for boosting  the regional economic cooperation and effectively implementing the  statutory goals.

Armenia highlights the closer coordination between the BSEC and the  Parliamentary Assembly, which will foster the building of firmer  interaction between them. Taking into consideration the experience of  the past of holding joint meetings between the Standing Committee of  the Assembly and the Committee of the BSEC senior officials, we think  that we should resume similar meetings already long ago, to  thoroughly discuss all the problems laid on the table. The  Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, to our  conviction, should continue making its further efforts in apolitical,  constructive and comprehensive way based on the principle of  sovereign equality. The regional cooperation can considerably benefit  from parliamentary cooperation.

We consider important the fact of harmonising the activities of  PABSEC and in general, the BSEC with global, especially, the UN  Sustainable development agenda by 2030.  Armenia remains faithful to  the goals declared by this organization. Despite numerous challenges,  the people of Armenia distinctly and out loud reaffirmed its  resoluteness to strengthen the respect towards human rights, rule of  law, the equal opportunities in the economic and social life.

Dear colleagues,

In the Black Sea Economic Cooperation region, we continue clashing  security serious challenges. The 44-day war happened in Nagorno  Karabakh in autumn 2020, the ongoing war in Ukraine have serious  geopolitical consequences for common security architecture.  In 2021,  afterwards in September 2022 Azerbaijan initiated the next unprovoked  military aggression along the eastern and south-eastern borders,  invading and conquering our sovereign territories.

At this moment, it has already been 5 months that Azerbaijan grossly  violating the provisions of Trilateral Statement of 9 November 2020,  has blocked the Lachin Corridor, the only life road of Nagorno  Karabakh, being under the responsibility of the peacekeepers of the  Russian Federation, which resulted in the humanitarian crisis. On  April 23, Azerbaijan set up an illegal checkpoint at the starting  point of the Lachin Corridor. Though the Azerbaijani side insists on  the fact that the Corridor is open, but actually it continues  remaining closed for free transportation.

The crisis had a wide international response. The European Court of  Human Rights (ECHR), the UN International Court of Justice made  decisions on unblocking of the Lachin Corridor, which were despised  by the official Baku.

Two and a half years passed after war, but until now Azerbaijan holds  at least 33 prisoners of war.

The situation being created after the aggression against Armenia  cannot become as a basis for stable and lasting peace.  In its  foreign policy Armenia has reaffirmed the principles of good  neighbourly relations and mutually beneficial cooperation. We don't  have territorial requirements towards our neighbours, and we expect  that our neighbours will also be led by that principle. On October 6,  2022, during the quadrilateral meeting held in Prague with the  participation of the President of France and the President of the  European Council the heads of Armenia and Azerbaijan confirmed their  commitments to the UN Charter and the Alma-Ata Declaration of 1991,  by which the two sides recognize the territorial integrity and  sovereignty of each other.

Colleagues, in these days in Washington, on the initiative of the  Secretary of the State of the United States the negotiations of the  delegations led by the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan  are underway. The matter of discussion are issues regarding the  security situation created in the region, the settlement process of  the relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. I believe that this is  a positive development, and I wish the diplomats success.

The conflicts should be settled through peaceful means. We are  convinced that regional economic cooperation can promote the  strengthening of peace, stability and the peoples' welfare, as it is  stipulated by the BSEC Charter and the appropriate statutory  documents of the Parliamentary Assembly.

In 2021 and in 2022, the economy of Armenia recorded stable growth.  In the previous year it was more than 14%, and the trade turnover  with several Member States of our organization considerably  enlivened. Our economy continues showing good results due to healthy  macro-economic policy and legislative reforms affecting the economic  development. We have also undertaken essential reforms, which are  aimed at the decrease of corruption and the rise of transparency.

As a developing landlocked country, Armenia again underlines the  importance of unobstructed access to the sea by all means, as well as  values the development of the regional communication and stable  transport systems. Armenia is ready to continue the unblocking of  communications on the basis of the principles of sovereignty,  territorial integrity and full respect of national legislation.

In the international rapidly changing environment, the Parliamentary  Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation should be a regional  moving force. Only in case, when we, the parliamentarians, bring  together our efforts, will be able to overcome the common challenges  and make use of common opportunities. Let us make use of this jubilee  anniversary and reflect upon the lessons of the past three decades  and reaffirm our commitment to advance the organization.

Concluding my speech, I congratulate Ukraine on the occasion of  assuming the upcoming presidency of PABSEC and wish the country  success in their undertakings.  Thanks to host country for  hospitality and for organizing the Summit."