Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan hosted a delegation led by Russian Premier Dmitry Medvedev, who is paying an official visit to the Republic of Armenia. After the Prime Ministers’ private talks, the Armenian and Russian governmental delegations met in extended format.
In his greeting remarks, RA Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan stated in part:
“Dear Dmitry Anatolevich,
Dear Colleagues:
I am pleased to welcome you to Armenia. The agenda of our bilateral relations is quite saturated as usual, and bilateral commodity turnover is growing steadily. Together with Dmitry Anatolevich, we have already stated that the trade turnover has increased by 23.5% in the first eight months of this year.
At the same time, we believe that the growth potential is larger, and we have a huge untapped potential as evidenced by the meetings held between individual agencies, which have become more frequent recently. Many promising proposals are being considered at this point of time.
I think today’s meeting is a good opportunity to discuss bilateral agenda items and the prospects for further development. We have prepared a number of documents for signing today that will go a long way towards furthering and strengthening cooperation.
We feel that we have all the possibilities to not only maintain the aforementioned trends, but also to step them up. I warmly welcome you once again and assure that we are glad to see you.”
Russian Premier Dmitry Medvedev stated in his speech:
“Dear Karen Wilhelmovich,
Dear Colleagues and Friends:
I have better statistics than you. In the period from January to August, commodity turnover increased by 30%. I suggest using this index for the future. It means that our countries have overcome the period of economic hardship and the commodity turnover is recovering.
I hope that our investment cooperation will not lag behind the commodity turnover. Most importantly, in recent years our countries have been able to get the right model of interaction within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union not only in bilateral, but also in the multilateral format, which accounts for most of the aforementioned benefits.
To my mind, the growth in commodity turnover is a good indication that we are on the right track. The same is true of the agricultural imports from Armenia to Russia and some other spheres of cooperation.
Our partners are prepared: they are ready to present their ideas on what to do, and we will complete our work by signing the documents.”
The Prime Ministers of Armenia and Russia discussed a wide range of issues on bilateral agenda related to the development of cooperation in both traditional and new prospective spheres. The parties specifically touched upon the possibilities for expanding cooperation in energy, industry, investments, as well as in the military-technical and humanitarian spheres.
Karen Karapetyan and Dmitry Medvedev attached importance to the formation of effective mechanisms for boosting exports towards third countries and implementing joint investment programs in a bid to develop import substitution in the sectors with the appropriate potential. The two Premiers instructed the heads of relevant departments to continue making active efforts in that direction.
In the context of developing trade and economic ties between the two countries, Karen Karapetyan and Dmitry Medvedev attached importance to the proceedings of the Armenian-Russian Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation.
Russian Co-Chair Maxim Sokolov reported on the ongoing and completed activities based on the results of the preceding 17 commission sittings. He dwelt on the process of developing trade-economic and business relations, implementing investment programs, cooperating in agriculture, industry, transport, construction, environmental protection, as well as improving the legal framework and in other areas.
Maxim Sokolov noted that the establishment of the free economic zone in Syunik on the Armenian-Iranian border might help promote business dialogue and investment cooperation. In this context, he informed that a number of large Russian companies had expressed interest in FEZ operations.
The launch of the Armenian-Russian Investment Fund based on the joint memorandum signed this March will help undertake new mutually beneficial projects in agriculture, industry, transport and logistics-related infrastructures and high technologies as the most effective and promising areas of interaction. The interlocutors also touched upon the opportunities to be available in the free economic zone of Syunik on the Armenian-Iranian border, and discussed ways of getting Russian companies involved in the FEZ.
Later today, an official dinner will be given on behalf of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia in honor of the official delegation led by RF Premier Dmitry Medvedev.
