Monday, 2 December 2013
Armenian-Russian Cooperation At Peak Of Upward Curve
Attended by Armenian-Russian intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation co-chairs, Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan and RF Minister of Transport Maxim Sokolov, the third Armenian-Russian interregional forum kicked off today in Gyumri.
Welcoming those present on behalf of the Government of Armenia and himself, Tigran Sargsyan said the event was of special importance due to the fact that it was held in the frame of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s State visit to Armenia.
“This conference is of special relevance as it deals with an important topic - our country’s cooperation prospects – as seen from the perspective of the ongoing integration processes. Our choice was triggered by Armenia’s willingness to join the Customs Union and, subsequently, the Eurasian Economic Union. Armenia’s decision to join the Customs Union was above all based on the undeniable fact that tackling challenges called for a collective effort. In particular, providing favorable conditions for sustainable economic growth and building a highly competitive economy is quite a difficult and sometimes even an unsolvable problem for countries with limited resources and a small market such as Armenia. It seems to be twice as complicated if we take into account the geopolitical situation in which we have to develop our country’s economy. Thus, the desire to ensure sustainable economic growth and competitiveness was at the core of our strategic decision to join the Customs Union. The search of implementation mechanisms and pathways brought us to a natural and reasonable conclusion about the need to get full membership in the Union, which incorporates our close political allies, the CSTO member- States and our main economic partners,” Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan said.
According to Tigran Sargsyan, economic cooperation with Russia is of top importance to Armenia. Being Armenia’s major trade partner and the largest investor, Russia is playing a decisive role in Armenia’s infrastructure-building effort. Russia has a stake in the development of the strategic sectors and backbone enterprises such as Nairit and the Armenian NPP.
“It is an undeniable fact that economic relations between our countries have been constantly evolving during the years of independence. Upholding the stated dynamics calls for systemic improvement of cooperation mechanisms, but at the moment we have come to the highest point of bilateral cooperation, which could be achieved using conventional tools. Further development of economic cooperation between Russia and Armenia, which is reflected in the long-term economic cooperation program until 2020, should be aimed at diversifying bilateral trade and economic relations and providing structural and technological conditions for structural and technological modernization of our economies,” the Prime Minister pointed out.
According to the Premier, this is only possible in an economic environment free of any barriers or obstacles to economic integration.
Thus, the decision to join the Customs Union was of a balanced character with a fully rational explanation, namely to provide conditions necessary for an effectively developing economy.
In turn, Maxim Sokolov stressed the importance of strengthening interregional ties between the two countries: “We are going to sign a number of instruments to further enhance and strengthen interregional cooperation with Armenia. They seek to implement new bilateral cooperation programs, which in turn will focus on the development of interstate cooperation.”
Tigran Sargsyan and Maxim Sokolov went on to greet Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Vladimir Putin who came to attend the Armenian-Russian interregional forum.
