PHOTO: News.am. Sweden’s Riksdag Speaker Andreas Norlen (left) greets Armenian National Assembly Speaker Ararat Mirzoyan.
The delegation led by Speaker of the National Assembly Ararat Mirzoyan visited on June 13, 2019 the Riksdag of the Kingdom of Sweden. The delegation attended the plenary session of the Riksdag during which the Swedish deputies greeted Speaker of the National Assembly Ararat Mirzoyan and the representatives of the Armenian parliament.
The reforms underway in Armenia’s judiciary and in the spheres of human rights protection and democratization were discussed during the working lunch with Deputy Speaker of the Riksdag Lotta Johnsson Fornarve.
The same day, Ararat Mirzoyan and Andreas Norlén had a meeting in the conference hall of the Speaker of the Riksdag. Mirzoyan and the members of the delegation answered their Swedish counterparts’ several questions regarding the revolution that took place in Armenia, the current developments in the country’s domestic and foreign policies and the reforms underway in the judiciary. Sweden’s support to consolidate the achievements that Armenia has made in terms of democracy was also discussed during the meeting.
Ararat Mirzoyan reaffirmed the invitation to Speaker Andreas Norlén, the deputy speakers and the heads of all the political factions to visit Armenia in the near future, adding that the visit will provide the opportunity to further deepen the Armenian-Swedish parliamentary cooperation.
At the end of the day, an official dinner was served in Villa Bonier in honor of the Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia and the members of the delegation.
https://news.am/eng/news/518161.html
PHOTO: Xinhua. Photo taken on June 9, 2019 shows banners for Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit on a street in Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan
Heads of state and government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) countries gathered in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan from June 13-14, 2019 to attend the 19th SCO Summit to discuss increased collaboration to strengthen the economic and security situation of the region and to uphold SCO’s Shanghai Spirit – “mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diverse civilizations and pursuit of common development”.
Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan established the SCO – a Eurasian political, economic, and security grouping led by Moscow and Beijing – in the early 2000s. India and Pakistan joined in 2017. Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia have observer status. The SCO also recognizes six dialogue partners, namely Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepel, Sri Lanka, and Turkey.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, newly elected Kazakh President Kasym-Jomart Tokayev, Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, India’s two-term Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan attended the conference. Afghan President Ashraf Gani, Belarus’ President Aleksandr Lukashenko, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Mongolia’s President Khaltmaa Battulga participated as observers.
Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov chaired the Council of the Heads of State (CHS) meeting, the apex decision-making body in the SCO which holds annual meetings in one of the member states’ capitals. The Council of Foreign Ministers holds regular meetings, where international situation and the SCO’s interaction with other international organizations are discussed. Besides, the Council of National Coordinators coordinates the multilateral cooperation of member states within the framework of the SCO's charter. Defense ministers also hold annual meetings in accordance with a defense pact among SCO members; the last such meeting was held in Bishkek on April 29-30, 2019.
Chinese President Xi Jinping was conferred with the highest national award of Kyrgyzstan, the Manas Order of the First Degree. Kyrgyz President Jeenbekov said he appreciates Xi’s special contributions to the development of the Kyrgyzstan-China comprehensive strategic partnership, and that Kyrgyzstan will never forget china’s long-running support and assistance.
After the summit in Kyrgyzstan, Putin, Xi, Central Asian leaders, and top officials from dozens of other countries will convene on June 15 in neighboring Tajikistan's capital, Dushanbe, for the fifth Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA).
https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/pakistan/pakistan-prime-minister-imran-khan-heads-for-sco-summit-in-kyrgyzstan-set-to-meet-regional-leaders-1.64581217
https://www.rferl.org/a/kyrgyz-chinese-leaders-meet-in-bishkek-ahead-of-sco-summit/29996950.html
https://thediplomat.com/2019/06/the-shanghai-cooperation-organization-summit-kicks-off-in-bishkek/
https://www.news18.com/news/world/narendra-modi-at-sco-summit-live-pm-to-meet-xi-jinping-at-first-global-conclave-of-2nd-term-2185167.html
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/leaders-arrive-for-sco-summit-in-bishkek-/1501826
BY MSEAP Cyber Secretariat (mseap@assembly.go.kr) |
