RA President welcomes Swiss National Council President-led delegation

President Serzh Sargsyan received a delegation led by Dominique de Buman, President of the National Council of the Swiss Confederation. The delegation comprised the Vice Presidents of the National Council and representatives from all parliamentary factions.

Greeting the guests, the President of Armenia noted that the visit of such a representative delegation from friendly Switzerland is another evidence of high-level political relationship between the two countries and the two peoples’ reciprocated sympathy.

Pleased with the current status of consistently developing interstate relations, President Sargsyan expressed confidence that the delegation’s hectic visit schedule would undoubtedly have a positive impact on the furtherance of Armenian-Swiss cooperation.

Serzh Sargsyan congratulated Dominique de Buman on being elected as President of the National Council of Switzerland late last year and wished him fruitful activities. The President thanked the guest for his great dedication and consistent efforts aimed at strengthening the Armenian-Swiss relations.

Emphasizing that Switzerland has always been a reliable partner for Armenia, President Sargsyan thanked the friendly country for supporting the Armenian people during difficult periods for Armenia.

The President of Armenia and the President of the National Council of Switzerland highlighted the role of inter-parliamentary cooperation for the development of interstate relations. In this context, Serzh Sargsyan considered it emblematic that due to an amazing concurrence of events, the former presidents of the Armenian and Swiss parliamentary friendship groups are now heading the legislative bodies of the two countries, which binds the sides to build on the existing inter-parliamentary ties.

The interlocutors agreed that the International Organization of La Francophonie, the presidency of which has been taken over by Armenia, might provide another good platform to make the Armenian-Swiss ties even closer. They expressed the hope that the Francophonie Summit to be held in Yerevan this October would be held at the highest possible level.

Serzh Sargsyan and Dominique de Buman hailed the two parliaments’ close cooperation on international platforms. President Sargsyan highlighted Dominique de Buman-led friendship group’s visit to Artsakh in 2012, noting that such visits are supposed to give a first-hand view of the situation.

The parties availed themselves of the opportunity to exchange views over the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement process. The President of Armenia thanked the Swiss Confederation for their balanced position and support of the OSCE Minsk Group’s efforts, as well as for Switzerland’s readiness to contribute to the peaceful resolution of the conflict.