Armenian parliamentary delegation calls on President Mukherjee

A 19 member parliamentary delegation led by Hovik Abrahamyan, President (Speaker) of the National Assembly of Armenia called on President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan here on Thursday.

Welcoming the delegation, Mukherjee said since ancient times, India and Armenia have enjoyed historical and civilizational ties.

"Indian and Armenians share common culture, traditions, language and values. He said India attaches importance to its friendship with Armenia and both countries enjoy excellent relations at political, official and cultural levels and between the people of the two countries," Mukherjee said.

The President said the delegation is visiting India following the first ever visit of an Indian parliamentary delegation to Armenia. He stated that such exchanges between the representatives of peoples help increase understanding and enhance the friendship between people of two countries and provide fresh impetus to cooperation between the legislative bodies of the two countries.

He welcomed the formation of an Armenia-India Parliamentary Friendship Group comprising of 11 MPs in the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia and expressed his confidence that soon such a group will be formed in Indian Parliament.

He observed that India-Armenia trade and economic engagement remains far below its potential despite the fact that both countries enjoy excellent political and cultural ties. He said the two countries should work together to explore avenues to expand bilateral trade and mutual investment.

The Leader of the Armenian Parliamentary delegation said India and Armenia enjoyed excellent political relations. The Armenian Government is initiating measures to ensure that economic relations also catch up with political relations and has drawn up a road map in this regard. Stating that India and Armenia are bound by ties of spirituality and culture, Mr. Abrahamyan expressed confidence that their visit would further strengthen relations between the two countries.