Armenian parliament speaker Hovik Abrahamyan met Feb 16 with the head of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly election observation mission in Armenia Tonino Picula, OSCE PA President Riccardo Migliori, and OSCE PA Deputy Secretary General Tina Schoen.

The upcoming presidential elections were in the focus of the discussion, with the importance to conduct free, fair and transparent polls stressed. National Assembly speaker Abrahamyan voiced confidence that OSCE PA mission will make a fair assessment of the polls, parliamentary press service reported.

He noted the deployment of observer missions by leading international organizations as an essential factor for the development of democracy in the country.

“Armenian authorities have the political will to conduct 2013 presidential elections in line European standards,” Hovik Abrahamyan said.