Armenia lawmaker urges Latvia to recognize Genocide

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia's deputy parliament speaker Eduard Sharmazanov on Friday, December 15 called on the Latvian Saeima to recognize the Genocide of 1915.

During an official visit to Latvia, Sharmazanov and lawmakers Samvel Farmanyan and Suren Manukyan met the head of Latvia-Armenia friendship group Sergey Potapkin.

At the meeting, the sides discussed the ways to deepen bilateral ties and develop inter-parliamentary relations.

Thanking Potapkin for his participation in the conference "Against the Crime of Genocide" held in Yerevan in 2017, Sharmazanov weighed in on the international recognition of that crime against humanity, expressing hope that the friendship group will initiate a process of acknowledging the Armenian Genocide in the Latvian parliament.

Also, the Armenian lawmaker said that some Latvian officials make statements that contradict the EU's stance on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Potapkin assured, however, that the country's position goes in line with that of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, who are mandated to find a peaceful and lasting solution to the issue.

Earlier, Sharmazanov said that it is unacceptable for Latvia to issue statements that contradict the European Union's official position on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.