Tuesday, 16 March 2021
Tigran Avinyan Receives Ambassador of India
On March 16, 2021, Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan received India’s Ambassador to Armenia Kishan Dan Dewal.
Stressing the importance of the traditionally deep-rooted Armenian-Indian friendly relations, the Deputy Premier expressed the Armenian government’s readiness to raise them to a new level. The parties discussed the current developments around the North-South international transport corridor. Tigran Avinyan said India could consider Armenia as a gateway to Russia and Europe considering the ongoing construction of the North-South transport corridor extending from Iran to Georgia and the possibility of opening railway communications in the region.
The Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia congratulated India on becoming a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in 2021 and expressed confidence that India’s activities in the Security Council would promote global security and peace. Referring to the situation in the region, Tigran Avinyan noted that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict needs a comprehensive settlement, which should include the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, based on the realization of its people’s right to self-determination. In this context, he appreciated India’s position that the conflict should be resolved within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs through negotiations. At the same time, he singled out the issue of immediate repatriation without any preconditions of Armenian captives held in Azerbaijan.
The interlocutors referred to the current status and the prospects of cooperation in the field of defense. Admitting that trade and economic exchanges fall short of existing potentialities, the parties stated that there are wide opportunities for cooperation in the fields of high technologies, education, healthcare, science, agriculture, and solar energy. The activities of the Armenian-Indian Intergovernmental Commission were highlighted in this context.
The ICT Center for Excellence was cited as a vivid example of Armenian-Indian cooperation in the field of capacity building, the scope of which could be expanded with an emphasis on artificial intelligence.
