2024-08-07 04:26:44
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan sent a message at the opening of the Armenian-Russian interregional forum.
“On behalf of the government of the Republic of Armenia, I would like to welcome all the participants of the eighth Armenian-Russian interregional forum. We are happy to host all our guests from Russia.
Interregional conferences have a history of ten years.
They have become one of the important institutions of cooperation within the framework of alliance relations between our two countries. The Armenian-Russian interregional cooperation, which is based on about two dozen agreements, has a really wide geography. It includes almost all regions of Armenia and administrative units in various corners of the Russian Federation, including Leningrad and Orenburg, Yaroslavl and Omsk, Ulyanovsk and Arkhangelsk, Rostov and Vologda regions. The existence of these ties is one of the bright manifestations of the exceptional relations between our two countries.
The Russian Federation not only plays a key role in maintaining peace and stability in our region, but also has a central place and role in our country’s economy. Russia is the main trade partner of Armenia.
In 2019, our bilateral trade turnover exceeded the threshold of 2.0 billion dollars, and this year they have already recorded a double-digit increase in trade turnover.
Russia is also a leader in terms of investments in Armenia and has an exceptional role in the development of our country’s infrastructure. Among the recent investments, it is necessary to single out the implementation of technological transfer for the purpose of releasing the Sputnik Light vaccine, which is particularly important for our country in the context of the fight against the pandemic.
The current level of economic cooperation between our two countries meets the requirements arising from the nature of alliance relations, but it does not at all imply fixing a static situation, on the contrary, it requires constant work, development and improvement.
The world is changing rapidly, and our relationships must meet the demands born of these changes. We need to improve our economic relations in such a way that they contribute to the development of competitive economies in our countries. In the context of what has been said, we consider it important the further rapprochement and mutual integration of our economies, which should be based on the free movement of goods, services, labor and capital. The Eurasian Economic Union, in turn, serves that strategic purpose, and we are interested in strengthening that structure and improving its institutions. The imperative to diversify our economic ties is also evident.
In addition to traditional sectors, it is necessary to find ways to further develop cooperation in high-tech, innovation and knowledge-intensive sectors of the economy. I am sure that today’s event is one of the tools that best serves the above goals.
Once again, I welcome all the participants of the conference and wish them effective work for the prosperity of our countries and peoples,” the message reads.