RA President receives President of Czech Parliament Senate Milan Štěch

President Serzh Sargsyan received today President of the Senate of Parliament of the Czech Republic Milan Štěch.

Welcoming the guest, the President of Armenia said to have kept warm memories of the meeting held with Milan Štěch as part of his State visit to the Czech Republic in 2014. Serzh Sargsyan expressed the hope that the Czech Senate President’s visit would be fruitful and might strengthen the friendly relations between the two countries, and Mr. Shtekh would feel the same warmth and friendship he has always shown to Armenia’s representatives during their visits to the Czech Republic.

The Head of State stressed that Armenia considers the Czech Republic to be a friendly country and a reliable partner, and is keen to deepen and advance cooperation in all areas of mutual interest. The President noted with satisfaction that the two friendly countries entertain a sustained political dialogue at all levels. Serzh Sargsyan stressed the important role of parliamentary diplomacy in the development of this dialogue, noting that interparliamentary cooperation has an important place in the enrichment and promotion of the agenda of Armenian-Czech relations.

Thankful for the reception, the President of the Senate of Czech Parliament said that all his meetings in Armenia went off in a warm and positive atmosphere. Milan Štěch emphasized that the relations between the Czech Republic and Armenia are at the highest level, given the active contacts and mutual understanding between the top leadership of the two countries, as well as the effective interaction of the legislative and executive authorities. In his opinion, high-level political relations need to be supplemented by active trade and economic ties, in the direction of which efforts are being made on either side.

Milan Štěch advised that his delegation was comprised of several Czech businessmen, who will hold meetings with Armenian colleagues to get acquainted with Armenia’s economic opportunities and the market demand.

The President of the Senate of Czech Parliament touched upon the controversy over the sale of Czech weaponry to Azerbaijan, stressing that those who carried out the sale did not have the permission of the Czech authorities, and a probe is now underway to find out how this deal had been effectuated.

The parties exchanged views on regional and international problems and challenges of topical interest, touching upon the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Milan Štěch stressed that supportive of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs’ efforts, his country’s authorities believe that the problem should be resolved exclusively through peaceful means.