10:56, 26 April, 2013
YEREVAN, APRIL 26, ARMENPRESS: The Head of the newly established EU-Armenia Friendship Group Eleni Theocharous has been in the Nagorno Karabakh Republic for 20 times. “In most of the cases people have the feeling that the country is a mother. For me Nagorno Karabakh is a baby, a little baby, for which I want to take care and treat it well”, – stated Eleni Theocharous during her interview with Armenpress.
The Head of the EU-Armenia Friendship Group is an honorable citizen of Nagorno Karabakh Republic. Her 19th visit to Artsakh was last year summer, when she was implementing observing mission during the presidential elections. “I was happy to participate in the monitoring procedure with some of my colleagues. I will tell you that the democracy is priming in Nagorno Karabakh. It was quite an impressive procedure and I admire the people of the Nagorno Karabakh not only because of their fight for liberty or freedom but because they have established a priming democracy in their country”, – said Eleni Theocharous.
Eleni Theocharous highlighted the right of the Artsakh people for self-determination, stating that all should respect that right and take it into account. “We need to ask the people what they prefer. It is their fundamental right to decide what they want. And we must respect their will. If they want independence, we have to respect independence. And if they want to be one nation with Armenia, we must accept it and protect them”, -said the Head of the EU-Armenia Friendship Group.
Some of the members of the newly established EU-Armenia Friendship Group, headed by the Head of the Group Eleni Theocharous, visited Yerevan and on April 24 they commemorated the innocent victims of the Armenian Genocide. On April 25 the Group members were hosted by the President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan. On April 26 the Group will make an official visit to the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.
The EU-Armenia Friendship Group consists of about 40 members, and 5 of them are in Armenia now. By the way, the deputy of the French National Assembly, the member of the EU-Armenia Friendship Group Valérie Boyer as well is a member of the Group, who is the author of the draft bill criminalizing the denial of the Armenian Genocide in France. The EU-Armenia Friendship Group intends to hold several events in Armenia.
The EU-Armenia Friendship Group was established on January 9 2013. The opening ceremony was attended by the President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia Hovik Abrahamyan. It is symbolical that the members of the Group along with the Armenian nation respect the memory of the innocent victims of the Armenian Genocide.
Interviewed by Arusik Zakharyan
Translated by Syune Barseghyan
Photos by Felix Arustamyan