ArmInfo.On January 12, at the 12th meeting of the Armenian-Georgian intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation in Yerevan, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan noted the clear mutual understanding of the parties in expanding and deepening economic ties in order to identify unrealized potential and more effectively use the opportunities arising from it.
Pashinyan, referring to statistical data, noted that the volume of trade in January-November 2022, compared to the same period in 2021, almost doubled, amounting to 759 million US dollars. "Statistics of Georgia publishes a higher figure - 1 billion, and I am sure that you calculated more correctly than we do. It is very important that we compare the numbers not with 2020, 2021, but with 2019, when the figures were very high and record-breaking. In this regard, in January-November 2019, the volume of trade with Georgia amounted to 481.7 million US dollars, and in 2022, compared to the same period in 2019, the growth was 57.6%. I think this indicator, for obvious reasons, is even more important, because 2019 was very successful for us and for you, perhaps the most successful of previous years," he said.
Pashinyan noted the important role of Georgia for Armenia as a transit country. "Georgia is of great importance in terms of reliable and secure supply of energy resources, communications and telecommunications. 365 million kWh of electricity was exported from the Republic of Armenia to Georgia in 2022, which exceeds the export from Armenia in the previous 10 years combined. We hope that we will succeed maintain the indicated dynamics in this area," he said.
The head of the Armenian Cabinet of Ministers also noted the priority of the transport sector in bilateral relations, pointing out the possibility of real steps to ensure the nodal connection of the North-South and East-West routes. According to him, Armenia attaches great importance to railway transport cooperation and the expansion of multimodal transportation, including maritime transport.
Noting the positive dynamics in all areas of economic cooperation, the RA Prime Minister spoke about the potential for growth in the tourism sector. "In 2022, the number of tourists visiting Armenia amounted to more than 1.6 million people, an increase of about 90% compared to the same period last year. I am sure that mutual tourist visits between our countries also have potential for growth. I would like to note that that according to preliminary data, the number of visitors from Georgia to Armenia in 2022 amounted to about 190 thousand people, and this number obviously has the potential to increase," Nikol Pashinyan said.
