EAFJD Accompanies Belgian Deputies to Armenia, Karabagh

BRUSSELS—A six-member parliamentary delegation from the Kingdom of Belgium is on a week-long working visit to the Republics of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabagh (Artsakh). The delegation is accompanied by European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD) President Kaspar Karampetian, EAFJD EU Affairs Officer Heghine Evinyan, and Armenian National Committee (ANC) of Belgium member Robert Invijajev. The working visit began on Sept. 6, and will end on Sept. 13.

The Parliamentary delegation meeting Armenian President Serge Sarkisian — The parliamentary delegation meeting Armenian President Serge Sarkisian

The delegation, consisting of parliamentarians from different factions of the Belgian political spectrum, first visited Armenia’s National Assembly, where they met with Artak Zakaryan, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Assembly and the chairman of the Armenian delegation to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly. Among the topics discussed were the foreign policy of Armenia, specifically the country’s change of course since 2013, when it decided to join the Eurasian Economic Union. Zakaryan emphasized Armenia’s determination to continue its close cooperation with the European Union. He assured the delegation that, in terms of democracy and state-building, Europe—and the values it stands for—is an example to follow. The discussion also focused on the recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide, as well as the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict.

The Parliamentary delegation meeting the Speaker of the National Assembly — The parliamentary delegation with the Speaker of the National Assembly

The French-speaking members of the Belgian Parliamentary delegation joined members of the Armenian delegation at the Francophonie Parliamentary Assembly. Margarit Yesayan, the head of the Armenian delegation, welcomed the guests. In the meantime, Dutch-speaking Karim Van Overmeire was welcomed by the rector and vice rector of the Yerevan Brusov State University of Languages and Social Sciences, as well as by students majoring in political science, international relations, and Dutch philology. The Q&A session, which was conducted partly in Dutch, focused on the recognition of the Armenian Genocide in Belgium and the Armenian community in Belgium, in particular Flanders. At the end of the meeting, Van Overmeire visited the Center of Dutch Studies.

The members of the delegation also met and had a lively exchange of views with representatives of all the Armenian political parties represented in the National Assembly. Among other critical issues, constitutional reform in Armenia was discussed.

The Parliamentary delegation at the Armenian Genocide Memorial — The parliamentary delegation at the Armenian Genocide Memorial

The last meeting scheduled in parliament was with the president of the National Assembly, Galust Sahakyan, who welcomed the Belgian delegation and highlighted the interaction and dialogue between the legislative bodies of the two countries. He also welcomed the establishment of the Friendship Group with Armenia by the Belgian deputies, representatives from the Belgian Parliament to the Inter-Parliamentary Union. He stressed the fact that in the Armenian Parliament, the Armenia-Belgium Friendship Group has been functioning for a long time, and expressed confidence that the Friendship Groups’ activities will serve to deepen Armenian-Belgian ties. Touching on the fact that the delegation’s visit is taking place on the 100^th year of the Armenian Genocide, Sahakyan expressed his gratitude for the adoption of the resolution on the Armenian Genocide in July by the Chamber of Deputies of the Kingdom of Belgium.

The MPs also had a meeting with civil society organizations. They met representatives of the think-tank International Center for Human Development (ICHD), including its executive director, Armen Galstyan. The questions raised focused on relations between Armenia’s government and civil society, and the mechanisms of putting issues on the political agenda. The Belgian deputies then met with Dr. Stepan Grigoryan, the director of the Analytical Centre on Globalization and Regional Cooperation.

On the second day of their visit, the delegation had a meeting with Giro Manoyan, a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Bureau, and director of the international secretariat, over the pros and cons of the constitutional reform in Armenia. The Belgian deputies also met with Lilit Galstyan, a former member of the Armenian Parliament and now a representative of the Ognir Yeghport NGO, which focuses on issues affecting Syrian-Armenian refugees in Armenia. The delegation discussed how to alleviate the difficult situation still facing the refugees.

Later, the delegation visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial complex at Tsitsernakaberd, and paid homage to the victims of the Armenian Genocide. The deputies gained further insight into the details of Armenian history at the Genocide Museum-Institute.

The next stop was the Mother See of Holy Etchmiatdzin, the center of the Armenian Apostolic Church. The delegates exchanged views with Archbishop Nathan, who heads external relations and the affairs of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Among the issues discussed were the relations of the Armenian Church with other Eastern Christian churches, the current situation of Christians in the Middle East, and the challenges of inter-religious dialogue.

Afterwards, the delegation had a chance to get acquainted with the treasures of the Museum of Ancient Manuscripts-Matenadaran in Yerevan.

At the end of the day, the parliamentarians from the Kingdom of Belgium met with the president of the Republic of Armenia, Serge Sarkisian. Sarkisian expressed his gratitude to the Belgian deputies for their role—as well as the Chamber’s role—in recently adopting the resolution on the Armenian Genocide. They then discussed relations between Armenia and Belgium, parliamentary cooperation, constitutional amendments, and the peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict.

On Thurs., Sept. 9, the Belgian deputies arrived in Nagorno-Karabagh, where the second part of their visit, which will last three days, is to take place.