Wednesday, 24 September 2008
RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan received Ambassador Plenipotentiary and Extraordinary of the Kingdom of Netherlands to the Republic of Armenia Onno Elderenboss (residence in Tbilisi).
To begin with, Ambassador Onno Elderenboss congratulated the head of the RA government and all Armenians on the seventeenth anniversary of Armenia's independence. The Prime Minister and the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Netherlands spoke about the Armenian-Dutch relationship, the successfully developing cooperation between the two countries in the frameworks of the World Bank and IMF Dutch Group. In this context, they referred to the agenda of Tigran Sargsyan's upcoming visit to Washington where he is due to attend the World Bank and IMF annual meeting. The parties similarly spoke about the bilateral cooperation under the European Neighborhood Policy and other questions of mutual interest.
With a view to developing bilateral relations and considering that since last February Armenia's consulate has been operational in the Hague, the head of the Armenian government emphasized the need for opening a diplomatic mission of the Kingdom of Netherlands in Yerevan.
Highly appreciative of the Dutch government's development assistance officially provided to our country on a yearly basis (about 5 million US dollars annually), Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan considered it necessary to continue the granting of this help by noting that it would be especially beneficial if targeted towards the stimulation of the private sector. In Tigran Sargsyan's words, stopped as of this year after inclusion of Armenia on the list of those countries providing the lower threshold of average per capita income, the issue of resuming the assistance features on the agenda of his Washington visit. As assured by Ambassador Onno Elderenbos, by giving up direct help to the State budget of the Republic of Armenia, the Netherlands will keep on implementing the World Bank program of judiciary reform and a World Bank co-financed program of assistance to the Armenian Development Agency.
The RA Prime Minister and the Ambassador of the Netherlands also referred to the activities of HayPostTrust, a Dutch company operational in Armenia as trust manager since 2007, as well as investment possibilities on the part of Dutch businessmen which along with other prospective areas might include the bank sector. In this regard, Tigran Sargsyan highlighted the need for mastering the experience of the Post Bank of Holland.
Speaking about the cooperation under the European Neighborhood Policy, the Prime Minister emphasized that it may open up new opportunities for our country. Among the key tasks of this cooperation, he noted the work towards establishing a free trade regime and simplifying EU entrance visa granting procedures.
Then the interlocutors touched upon the consequences of the worldwide financial crisis and its possible impact on Armenia's economy. In this context, economic losses incurred by Armenia as a result of the latest Georgian developments were estimated at about USD 700 million. In view of the above, the parties spoke about an eventual transportations-related assistance on the part of the Kingdom of Netherlands and other stakeholders.
