Monday, 24 November 2008
RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan received Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Republic of Armenia Charles Lonsdale and Head of DFID Europe and Asia Department Paul Hace.
Highly appreciative of the ongoing cooperation with the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Prime Minister said that our country has benefited very much from the programs carried out jointly with the DFID in different fields. These programs helped improve the administrative and institutional system, promoted public sector reform, expanded planned budgeting practices, fostered marz development and so on. Based on the fact that as early as in 2006 Armenia was ranked as a country past the lower threshold of average income, and the UK DFID assistance policy implies implementation of programs in low-income countries, the British government has decided to give up its support program in Armenia. In this connecton, Ambassador Charles Lonsdale and Head of DFID Europe and Asia Department Paul Hace mentioned that the cooperation with Armenia will not be halted therewith: "We will continue to follow closely Armenia's future efforts. In addition to the assistance provided under international organizations, the British Embassy in Armenia will continue assisting the Armenian government with the ongoing reforms and supporting the settlement of regional conflicts, including the Karabakh issue," they said.
The parties have also touched upon the global financial and economic crisis, its eventual impact on Armenia and the RA government's anti-crisis action.
