TEL AVIV, Israel (Armenpress) — The Armenian delegation led by Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs Artak Zakaryan had a meeting with Speaker of the Parliament (the Knesset) of Israel Yuli-Yoel Edelstein in Israel, the press service of the Armenian Parliament reported on Thursday, January 19.
Welcoming the guests, Edelstein attached importance to the development of inter-parliamentary ties, the centuries-old friendship between the Armenian and Jewish people and expressed his readiness to make efforts for the cooperation in various sectors, in particular, in cultural tourism, economic and agricultural sectors.
Edelstein reaffirmed his stance that sooner or later the Knesset must recognize the Armenian Genocide.
“I am not so proud of the fact that Israel has not yet recognized the Armenian Genocide, nevertheless, a certain progress already exists on this path,” he said.
Edelstein expressed hope it would be possible to find peaceful solutions to unsettled conflicts in near future. The Knesset Speaker promised to assist organizing regular meetings between the high-ranking officials of Israel and Armenia, as well as maintaining active inter-parliamentary relations.
Zakaryan thanked his hosts for the invitation and reception and highlighted the role of inter-parliamentary contacts in terms of development of inter-state relations, implementation of joint projects in various sectors, as well as long-term political partnership. He attached importance to the inter-parliamentary Memorandum of Understanding signed recently between Armenia’s Parliament Speaker Galust Sahakyan and the Knesset Speaker Edelstein, as well as the recent “Armenian-Israeli international public forum” formed in Yerevan. He expressed hope the results of the second forum on January 19 can be visible and can contribute to the strengthening of mutually beneficial public relations in a number of sectors.