YEREVAN, MARCH 9, NOYAN TAPAN. RA NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamian receiving a delegation led by Senator Alfredo Montica, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Italy on March 6, attached importance to the mutual visits of the two countries' parliament deputies, cooperation between committees, friendship groups and staffs. He said that a deputy friendship group with Italy was established at NA, the activity of which will also contribute to deepening of the relations. Emphasizing that integrating to Europe is among Armenia's political priorities, the NA Speaker attached importance to cooperation in different directions within the framework of the EU New Neighborhood Policy and Eastern Partnership. Welcoming EU member-countries' growing interest in the region, H. Abrahamian emphasized that Armenia attaches importance to strengthening of confidence in the South Caucasus, ensuring peace, stability, and cooperation with all neighbor countries. A. Montica also emphasized the necessity of deepening interparliamentary contacts at all levels, attaching much importance to parliamentary diplomacy in the respect of development of the two countries' relations. He said that an Italy-Armenia deputy friendship group will be established at the Italian parliament soon. A. Montica attached importance to cooperation at international structures, partnership within the framework of the EU Eastern Partnership program. He affirmed that cooperation should be developed in the economic sphere, partnership should be made active between Italian and Armenian regions, towns. According to the report of the RA NA Public Relations Department, during the meeting the sides also touched upon the Nagorno Karabakh settlement.

---