Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Head of the Armenia-India Friendship Group Hakob Arshakyan received the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of India to Armenia Kishan Dan Deval.
Members of the friendship group Tsovinar Vardanyan, Taguhi Ghazaryan, Tigran Abrahamyan, Narek Babayan were also present at the meeting.
The Deputy Speaker noted that the rich historical past of the Armenian-Indian relations is the best basis for the expansion of interstate ties. In this context, Hakob Arshakyan attached importance to the ambassador’s active participation and effective work.
“During the 29 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, Armenia and India have managed to turn friendly ties with deep historical roots into warm interstate and partnership relations,” Hakob Arshakyan stressed. In the framework of inter-parliamentary cooperation, he especially emphasized the role of friendship groups.
Speaking about the Nagorno Karabakh issue, the Deputy Speaker referred to the importance of soonest return of all Armenian detainees held in Azerbaijan and the latter’s failure to fulfill the provisions of the November 9 trilateral statement. He emphasized that in this respect our country appreciates India’s balanced statements and its role in the international arena. Hakob Arshakyan stressed that Armenia reaffirms its support for India in the Jammu and Kashmir issue, expressing hope that the issue will be resolved peacefully.
According to Arshakyan, Armenia and India effectively cooperate in different spheres. He hailed the fact that compared to the same period in 2019, exports to India increased almost 20 times to $73.4 million, and trade between the two countries increased by about 2.7 times.
Touching upon the sectoral cooperation, Hakob Arshakyan singled out the activity of the Armenian-Indian Center for Excellence in Information and Telecommunication Technologies.
In order to expand cooperation in the spheres of tourism and business development, the implementation of direct flights between the two countries was emphasized. Reference was also made to student exchange programs in the field of education, in particular, it was mentioned that more than 3,000 Indian students receive education in Armenia. The importance of the North-South transport corridor and its international significance were emphasized.
The ambassador also emphasized the deepening of the Armenian-Indian relations, noting that a friendship group will be formed in the Indian Parliament in the near future. He considered the mutual visits of friendship groups necessary in the deepening of inter-parliamentary ties. Kishan Dan Deval attached importance to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through peaceful negotiations within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing.
The members of the friendship group noted that they are ready to make efforts to implement mutually beneficial projects.
New promising directions of bilateral cooperation were discussed, the need to deepen cooperation in various spheres was stressed. Reference was also made to a number of other student exchange programs in the field of education.
