On February 16, Hakob Arshakyan, Deputy Speaker of the RA NA, Head of the NA Armenia-China Friendship Group, met with Yun Fan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China. Babken Tunyan, a member of the Armenia-China friendship group, took part in the meeting.

Hakob Arshakyan emphasized that China is one of Armenia's essential partners and added that the historical friendship between the two nations and the relations between the states are developing in many ways. In the framework of bilateral cooperation, the NA vice-president emphasized the role of inter-parliamentary cooperation and, in particular, the active importance of friendly groups.

Referring to the blockade of the Lachin Corridor and the humanitarian consequences caused by it, the NA Vice-President reminded that such a step contradicts the fulfillment of the obligations assumed by the tripartite declaration of November 9, 2020, and international partners should clearly and directly condemn it.

The ambassador emphasized the settlement of the problem peacefully and diplomatically. He noted that they are ready to support the issue's solution with international organizations.

As the acting chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Economic Affairs, Babken Tunyan referred to economic cooperation and spoke about the importance of the Chinese business community investing in Armenia. He considered it necessary to clarify future actions and to have a preliminary road map of the upcoming activities. The deputy reminded me that high economic growth and activation of capital programs by the state are planned this year.

I've referred to the work of friendly groups at the parliamentary level, which will contribute to developing cooperation in various fields.

During the meeting, the Ambassador of the People's Republic of China emphasized the activation of parliamentary contacts, considering that the restrictions relating to preventing the spread of the coronavirus in China have been eased.

As the head of the NA Armenia-China friendship group, Hakob Arshakyan expressed his willingness to make maximum efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation.