On February 21, the Vice President of the RA National Assembly, the Head of Armenia-Australia Friendship Group Ishkhan Saghatelyan met with the Co-Chairs of Australia-Armenia Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Union Trent Zimmerman and Joel Fitzgibbon.

The Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of Australia Haig Kayserian and the Political Affairs Director of the Armenian National Committee of Australia Michael Kolokossian also took part in the meeting.

Ishkhan Saghatelyan has expressed gratitude to the Australian parliamentarians for the development of the Armenian-Australian relations, noting that he is ready to make additional efforts for developing the ties and giving new quality to them.

The NA Vice President positively evaluated the balanced position of Australia on Artsakh problem, underlining in that issue the recognition of the independence of the Artsakh Republic by the New South Wales big State.

At the meeting the sides also touched upon the issue of the recognition of the Armenian Genocide. “I hope that the day of justice will come, and Australia will completely recognize the fact of the Armenian Genocide. That is also necessary for the prevention of the new genocides,” the NA Vice President said particularly, in that context referring to the process started for establishing the Armenian-Turkish relations. Ishkhan Saghatelyan has underscored that Artsakh can never be part of Azerbaijan, and that issue shall be resolved within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group.

The Co-Chair of Australia-Armenia Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Union Joel Fitzgibbon also highlighted the recognition and the condemnation of the Armenian Genocide, as well as combining the efforts of the international community for that purpose to prevent the implementation of such actions in the future.

The interlocutors discussed the further development of the Armenian-Australian relations, as well as other issues of bilateral interest.