Ishkhan Saghatelyan holds series of meetings in Paris and Brussels
On Oct. 10, ARF Supreme Body of Armenia Chairman and member of the National Assembly Ishkhan Saghatelyan, then in Paris on a working visit, met with French Socialist Party leader and National Assembly member Olivier Faure at the French National Assembly. Saghatelyan was accompanied by ARF Bureau member Mourad Papazian.
ARF representatives from France and Armenia also took part in the meeting.
Saghatelyan thanked Faure for his longstanding support for Armenian issues and highlighted the decades-long close and fraternal relationship between the French Socialist Party and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation.
Faure reaffirmed his commitment to continuing efforts to keep issues of vital importance to Armenians on the French political agenda.
The sides also exchanged views on the challenges facing their respective parties and agreed to further deepen political dialogue and cooperation in a number of areas.
The meeting included discussions on advancing international attention to the right of return of the Armenians of Artsakh, the release of Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan and the protection of Armenian cultural heritage.
The ARF statement noted that Faure has consistently played an important role in advocating for these issues.
On Oct. 13, Ishkhan Saghatelyan held a series of meetings with members of the European Parliament during a working visit to Brussels, accompanied by Kaspar Karampetian, president of the European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD).
Saghatelyan and Karampetian met with MEP Hana Jalloul Muro, vice chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs and vice president of the Socialist International, and MEP Nacho Sánchez Amor, who has been involved in various European Parliament initiatives aimed at strengthening relations with Armenia.
The discussions focused on Armenia’s European integration process, domestic political developments, external security challenges and the steps necessary to establish a just, stable and lasting peace in the region.
Saghatelyan presented the ARF’s positions on these issues, emphasizing the importance of European institutions in safeguarding the rule of law and guaranteeing the full exercise of political freedoms in Armenia. He also stressed the need for European institutions to play a role in restraining what he described as unlawful actions by Armenia’s authorities.
The participants also discussed the developing relationship between the ARF and various European socialist political organizations, reaching understandings aimed at further deepening cooperation.
In a separate meeting, Saghatelyan and Karampetian met with Greek MEP Yannis Maniatis, vice chair of the European Parliament’s Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) Group.
The meetings highlighted the ARF’s continued engagement with European political institutions and socialist organizations on Armenia’s political developments, regional security, democratic freedoms and European integration.
On Oct. 15, still in Brussels, Ishkhan Saghatelyan, accompanied by Kaspar Karampetian, held a meeting with Yonnec Polet, deputy secretary-general of the Party of European Socialists (PES).
The Party of European Socialists is the largest alliance of socialist, social-democratic and labor parties in Europe. The ARF is the only political party from the South Caucasus represented within the organization.
The participants expressed satisfaction with the high level of political understanding established between PES and the ARF, their regular dialogue and the ARF’s active involvement in PES activities.
Saghatelyan expressed his gratitude for the adoption of an ARF-proposed resolution at the most recent PES Congress. He emphasized the importance of continuing to raise these issues, noting that sustained international attention could have a significant impact on securing the immediate and unconditional release of Armenian prisoners of war held in Baku, the withdrawal of Azerbaijani forces from occupied territories of the Republic of Armenia, the protection of the comprehensive rights of the Armenians of Artsakh and respect for political freedoms in Armenia.
Saghatelyan also provided an overview of Armenia’s domestic political situation, the challenges facing the ARF, the party’s positions on Armenia’s European integration and its efforts to promote social-democratic values in Armenia.
