Opening a working meeting with his Armenian NOC colleague Hrachya Rostomyan, the ROC Secretary General pointed out the active participation of the Republic’s athletes in the judo, sailing, karate, swimming and taekwondo competitions that will be held in Russia in 2022 with the support of ROC. Special mention was made of the Children of Asia II Winter International Sports Games, which recently ended in Kuzbass.
– Sport, along with science and art, is the most effective means of finding a diplomatic solution to any controversy, to any situation, and of developing and strengthening humanitarian relations between countries, even if there are political and other differences between them. We commend the relations between the National Olympic Committees of Armenia and Russia and are grateful for your principled stance aimed at restoring the unifying role of the international Olympic Movement, – said the ROC General Secretary.
To strengthen cooperation, Rodion Plitukhin invited the Armenian NOC to participate in the next International Forum of Young Olympians, which is traditionally held in Moscow on Children’s Day.
Hrachya Rostomyan emphasized the Armenian NOC’s clear commitment to the Olympic values and the basic principles of international humanitarian cooperation.
– We oppose the unfair sanctions now being imposed on Russian and Belarusian athletes. Their exclusion from international competitions not only harms the athletes themselves, but also deprives millions of fans of the opportunity to watch the peaceful competitions of the world’s best athletes. In 2014, during a visit to Armenia, IOC President Thomas Bach repeatedly emphasized that sport should be a bridge connecting countries with problems in international relations. Inspired by these words, the Armenian delegation traveled to the first European Games in Baku (!!!) and experienced first-hand the unifying mission of sport,” said the Armenian NOC Secretary General.
At the end of the meeting, Rodion Plitukhin proposed to update the provisions of the 2021 cooperation agreement between the Russian and Armenian National Olympic Committees and to include a number of new points that will make it possible to consolidate strict compliance with the Olympic Charter by all participants in international sport.
