The delegation led by Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly Alen Simonyan met with the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the US House of Representatives Gregory W. Meeks, Reps. Brad Sherman and Chris Smith.
Welcoming the members of the delegation, Mr. Meeks said they have been following the democratic processes in Armenia since 2018 with special attention. He expressed readiness to continue to support these reforms.
Issues related to the 44-day war and its consequences were discussed during the meeting. At the request of American colleagues, Alen Simonyan touched upon the issues of Armenia’s border security, the solution of post-war humanitarian issues and the repatriation of captives held in Azerbaijan.
The Congressmen stated that the US House of Representatives, and in particular their committee, is deeply concerned about the fate of the prisoners of war and believes that they should be repatriated immediately. The chairman of the commission stressed the importance of ensuring the stability of the South Caucasus and noted that in this context it is necessary to reach a solution to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and a lasting settlement of the issue. The United States will greatly contribute to this, including in the format of the OSCE Minsk Group, he said.
Alen Simonyan stressed the importance of recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the US House of Representatives, emphasizing the role of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the issue.
At the end of the meeting, Alen Simonyan said that a number of events and mutual visits are planned within the framework of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and the United States. The National Assembly President invited the Chairman and members of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee to visit Armenia to get acquainted with the existing problems and democratic achievements on the ground.
