On November 9 an unprecedented special session, dedicated to the 30th anniversaries of independence of the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Slovenia, organized by the Slovenia-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group was held in the National Assembly of the Slovenian Parliament.
Opening remarks were delivered by Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Tina Heferle, Chairman of the Slovenia-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group Andrej Černigoj, Chairman of the NA Foreign Policy Committee Monika Gregorčič, State Secretary of the Slovenian Foreign Ministry Stanislav Raščan, and the Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to Slovenia Ashot Hovakimian.
The delegation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, headed by the Director of the European Department Tigran Samvelian and representatives of the Armenian community in Slovenia also took part in the event.
The speakers emphasized that the event is the first of its kind in the history of the Slovenian Parliament, which best describes the relations between the two countries.
On the occasion of the one-year anniversary of the Artsakh War, the Slovenian side expressed condolences for the Armenian that perished in the war, emphasizing the official position of the country that the Nagorno Karabakh conflict should be settled through peaceful negotiations under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairmanship.
In his speech Ambassador Hovakimian thanked the National Assembly of Slovenia for the outstanding initiative to jointly celebrate the anniversaries of the independence of the two countries. The commitment between the parties to make every effort for the further development of bilateral relations, including in the parliamentary sphere, was voiced.
The Ambassador noted that the new composition of the Armenia-Slovenia Parliamentary Friendship Group had already been approved in the National Assembly of Armenia, expressing hope that effective cooperation will be established between the groups. Following the session, Andrej Černigoj and Ashot Hovakimian made press statements.
In the evening of the same day, a soirée dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Armenia’s independence was held at the Rimske Terme resort, attended by members of the Slovenian parliament, representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia and the Diplomatic Corps, heads of municipal authorities, representatives of other state institutions and the cultural and academic fields, as well as members of the Armenian community.The Owner and Director of the Rimske Terme resort, our compatriot Valery Arakelov, Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to Slovenia Ashot Hovakimian and the Chairman of the Slovenia-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group Andrej Černigoj delivered opening remarks. The guests were shown a video on Armenia’s tourism opportunities, followed by a joint concert by opera singer, soprano Varine Mkrtchyan from Prague and Professor of Zagreb Music Academy, famous pianist Ruben Dalibaltayan, with the brilliant performances of famous works by Komitas.
