Wednesday, 22 December 2010
Meeting held between Armenian and Russian Prime Ministers
The Armenian and Russian heads of government met at Vladimir Putin’s residence in the Kostantinov Palace of Saint Petersburg.
Describing Armenia as a reliable partner for Russia, the head of RF government prioritized the furtherance of ties in different fields of activity, including the political and military ones.
He welcomed the readiness of the Armenian side to expand cooperation, including in particular the dislocation of Russian military bases in Armenia. Economic cooperation was singled out as a priority area of interaction.
As he said, while the past year was full of hardships caused by the global crisis, Russia was able to assist Armenia extending USD 500mn in preferential loan for a period of 15 years which helped keep up the level of trade turnover between the two countries. Noting that Russian investments in Armenia totaled USD 3 billion, Vladimir Putin pointed out that none of those Russian companies has left Armenia so far.
Over one thousand Russian companies are currently operational in Armenia: “They are expected to feel more comfortable in your country thanks to Armenian President’s and your personal efforts,” Mr. Putting said, hopeful that the cooperation may be raised to a new level through joint efforts.
Thanking the head of Russian government for reception ahead of the New Year, Tigran Sargsyan appreciated the meeting as an opportunity to sum up what has been done in terms of economic bonds and outline future programs. He assured that everything is being done so that Russian businessmen might feel at ease in Armenia and come up with new undertakings. In particular, a free trade zone is due to be established on the site of Mars factory. A legislative package is currently under preparation to that effect.
Tigran Sargsyan expressed hope that it would be possible to build up a solid groundwork for increased Russian investments in Armenia.
Attended by the delegations of the two countries, the talks covered a broad range of bilateral economic cooperation-related issues.
Later today, the prime minister-led governmental delegation will be back to Yerevan.
