Tuesday, 8 November 2016
Armenia-Italy Trade and Economic Cooperation Prospects Discussed
Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan received a delegation led by Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy Paolo Gentiloni, who is paying an official visit to Armenia.
Noting that Italy is a friendly country for Armenia, the Prime Minister said to be pleased with the high level of political dialogue between the two countries. The Premier underscored that trade and economic relations fall short of the existing opportunities, and expressed confidence that there is much greater potential for further development.
The head of the Armenian government emphasized that continued reforms, increased exports and a better business environment are among the priorities of the government program. In this context, the Premier said his government is going to forward a variety of investment programs and initiatives to foreign partners through diplomatic channels that may be of interest to Italian investors. Noting that over 130 Italian companies are currently operational in Armenia, Karen Karapetyan stressed that there are vast opportunities for cooperation in other sectors of the economy.
Highlighting the need to expand trade and economic ties, Paolo Gentiloni pointed out that bilateral cooperation covers several investment programs, including the project of construction of a thermal power plant in Armenia. The Ambassador agreed that there are favorable conditions in place for cooperation in different sectors of the economy.
In this context, the parties stressed the importance of creating an intergovernmental commission, noting that it could help strengthen business relations, as well as discuss and implement specific investment projects.
Paolo Gentiloni welcomed the reforms implemented by the Government of Armenia, noting that Armenia’s investment attractiveness was also due to its membership of the Eurasian Economic Union. During the meeting, the interlocutors took the opportunity to talk about EU-Armenia interaction.
