Armenian parliament chief meets servicemen19:17 • 30.12.12 Ahead of the New Year holidays, the speaker of Armenia’s parliament has visited the defense positions of the Armenian Army to get familiarized with the military vigil arrangement procedures and the servicemen’s conditions. According to a press release by the National Assembly, Hovik Abrahamyan thanked the officers and soldiers for their service, wishing them happy holidays. “We are obliged to keep our borders strong. Under an instruction by the Armenian president, parliamentarians and cabinet members are now in the border areas, visiting soldiers and congratulating them on the upcoming New Year and Christmas. We must highly appreciate their service, we are obliged be beside them and assist them. We can state today that our country’s defense and security - which is the key component of our nation and state – is in strong hands, under the president’s spotlight. We are obliged to further strengthen our borders and enable our soldiers to maximum ensure the nation’s peace and the state’s security,” he told reporters. Abrahamyan then gave presents to the border guards. The head of the parliament’s Standing Committee on Defense, National Security and Internal Affairs, Koryun Nahapetyan, and the governor of the Ararat region , Edik Barseghyan, accompanied the speaker.