Monday, April 8 2019 20:37

ArmInfo. During his meeting  with the newly appointed Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates in  Armenia, Mohammed Issa Al Qattam Al Zaabi , Prime Minister Nikol  Pashinyan noted the importance of permanent development of relations  between the two countries and expressed hope that the Ambassador  would raise the existing cooperation to a new level.

As the press service of the head of the executive body told ArmInfo,  Pashinyan noted that recently intensification of economic cooperation  has been observed and there are good opportunities to give new  impetus to business contacts. The head of the Armenian government  also expressed satisfaction with the cooperation in the tourism  sector, which in turn helps to strengthen contacts between people.

In turn, the Ambassador expressed readiness to make efforts to deepen  and expand cooperation between the two countries. The diplomat  assured that the UAE is interested in developing cooperation with  Armenia in such areas as energy, information technology, investment,  agriculture, tourism and other areas. He informed that negotiations  are underway with Armenia on the opening of the third direct flight,  which will not only promote tourism, but also increase the volume of  trade. Mohammed Issa al-Zaabi added that the UAE government is ready  to discuss investment projects for their joint implementation with  Armenia.

From the point of view of development of bilateral economic  cooperation, the interlocutors noted the importance of holding an  intergovernmental commission meeting in the foreseeable future.   Pashinyan expressed hope that the meeting will take concrete  decisions that will be aimed at expanding economic cooperation  between the two countries. Emphasizing the need for cooperation in  the field of IT, the Prime Minister expressed hope that companies  from the United Arab Emirates will participate in the fall in the  World Information Technology Forum to be held in Yerevan. The  interlocutors also stressed the importance of holding business forums  and high-level visits in terms of giving impetus to bilateral  relations.  In conclusion, Pashinyan thanked the UAE government for a  balanced position on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement.  According to  the RA Statistics Committee, the foreign trade turnover between  Armenia and the United Arab Emirates in 2018 amounted to $ 179.6  million with a y-o-y decline of 9.6%. In particular, exports  decreased by 27.8% to $ 73.8 million, while imports grew by 9.7% to $  105.8 million.