President Serzh Sargsyan today received the delegation led by Vice-President of the Bundestag of the Federal Republic of Germany Johannes Singhammer, including representatives of the Cardinal Hofner Society, as reported the press service of the RA President.

In the beginning of the meeting, the RA President congratulated the guests on Germany’s Unity Day and wished the friendly Germany peace and prosperity.

From the perspective of the strengthening of Armenian-German relations, President Serzh Sargsyan attached importance to the reciprocal visits of high-ranking officials. The President was also pleased to recall his visit to Germany in April of this year and the meetings that he had had with the country’s high-ranking officials in an atmosphere of mutual understanding. Serzh Sargsyan voiced hope that the visit of the representative delegation led by Singhammer to the first Christian nation would be effective and full of unforgettable impressions, which would convey more persistence to the efforts aimed at strengthening the bilateral ties.

Sharing the opinion that the relations between Armenia and Germany are hinged on mutual respect and trust, the interlocutors attached great importance to the development of the inter-parliamentary cooperation in the strengthening and deepening of those relations. The head of state stated with satisfaction that parliamentarians of the Bundestag have recently been visiting not only Armenia, but also Nagorno-Karabakh in order to become more familiar with the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.

Serzh Sargsyan highly appreciated Germany’s position on the condemnation of the Armenian Genocide, which was displayed by the adoption of a resolution recognizing and condemning the Genocide by the country’s highest legislative body.

The Armenia-EU cooperation was touched upon. The President of the Republic emphasized that the Armenian-German cooperation is also important for Armenia in the context of relations with the European Union, taking into consideration the weighty role that Germany plays within EU structures and expressed gratitude for Germany’s assistance to Armenia within the framework of the Eastern Partnership.

The interlocutors attached importance to the scientific, educational and cultural partnerships that play a special role in the interstate relations.

The President highly appreciated the financial and technical assistance that the German government has been providing to Armenia for years for Armenia’s social-economic development.

On behalf of the delegation, Vice-President of the German Bundestag Johannes Singhammer expressed gratitude to the RA President for the reception and emphasized that even though Germany and Armenia don’t share a common border, they share the same values. According to him, the Germans have a special feeling for the world’s first Christian nation, and the Armenian Genocide resolution stating the historical truth is targeted at peace since, according to him, truth is a major precondition for achieving peace.

During the meeting, the interlocutors also touched upon the current international issues and the challenges posing a threat to peace.

Member of the German Bundestag Christian Haase granted the President one of the 29 bronze doves molded in 2008 in line with UN Human Rights provisions. The dove is granted to state officials who struggle for peace and particularly for religious freedoms.