STEPANAKERT, Artsakh Republic – A delegation of Mexican parliamentarians from the Mexico-Armenia Friendship Group are currently on a visit to the Artsakh Republic. The Mexican delegation includes Blanca Margarita Quetta Dominguez, Maria Cristina Teresa Garcia Bravo, and Carlos Hernandez Myro.

Accompanying them was Eduard Sharmazanov, the Vice President of Armenia’s National Assembly.

During their visit, the Mexican delegation met with various leaders of Artsakh’s government including Speaker of Artsakh’s Parliament Ashot Ghulyan, Foreign Minister Masis Mayilian, and President Bako Sahakian.

Ghulyan emphasized Artsakh’s interest in having friendly relations with different countries. “It is very desirable for us to have our first acquaintance continued in the future. I think this visit is a good start for our relations,” said the Parliament Speaker

Speaking about the struggle of the Artsakh people, Sharmazanov touched upon the anti-Armenian propaganda carried out by the Azerbaijani authorities and the regular military provocations on the contact line.

“The struggle of the people of Artsakh is not against Azerbaijan, but instead is for its freedom and peace,” said Sharmazanov.

Ghulyan noted that parliamentary contacts make it possible to present Artsakh on international platforms and to block the anti-Armenian propaganda spread by Azerbaijan.

“Our visit is a very good precedent for future visits by Mexican officials and we will cooperate with you because we believe that freedom and human rights are beyond everything,” said Blanca Dominguez.

Emphasizing the importance of the meeting, Mexican lawmaker Carlos Myro said, “It is very important that during such meetings we raise our voices and call for peace and dialogue.”

Ghulyan also briefed the guests on the issues Artsakh faces, the state-building process in the country, and the structure of the parliament.

Meanwhile, Artsakh Foreign Minister Mayilian welcomed the visit of the Mexican delegation to Artsakh and expressed hope that it would be the first step towards establishing bilateral cooperation. In this context, an exchange of views on the perspective areas of cooperation took place.

During the meeting, the Mayilian briefed the lawmakers on the priorities of Artsakh’s foreign policy, touching upon the processes of international recognition of the Republic of Artsakh and peaceful settlement of the conflict between Azerbaijan and Karabakh.

With the Artsakh President, a range of issues of mutual interest were addressed at the meeting. Special attention was paid to the establishment of parliamentary ties, the development of cooperation in public and humanitarian spheres.

Artsakh Republic National Assembly Deputy Chairman Vahram Balayan and other officials also participated in the meeting.