ArmInfo. Greece is interested in strengthening its presence in Armenia and making investments. Deputy Foreign Minister of Greece Konstantinos Fragkogiannis stated this on December 17 at the sixth meeting of the intergovernmental commission on economic, industrial and scientific-technical cooperation between Armenia and Greece.
According to him, Armenia and Greece have significant potential for developing stronger bilateral relations. In this regard, he emphasized the importance of signing a memorandum between Athens and Yerevan aimed at expanding Armenian-Greek trade turnover, as well as reducing risks and finding solutions. The Deputy Minister noted that cooperation between the countries has proven its effectiveness both in bilateral relations and on multilateral platforms.
"I would like to emphasize the importance of this process, including within the framework of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSEC), where Armenia successfully participates, and we strive to deepen these relations. We also interact within the framework of various cooperation schemes, including within the framework of the Armenia-Cyprus-Greece trilateral platform," Fragkogiannis noted.
The Greek official then touched upon the close cooperation that has developed between representatives of the trade sector of Areni and Greece. According to him, fruitful relations have been established between traders from Armenia, Greece, India and Iran, which in turn has had a positive impact on cooperation in both bilateral and multilateral formats.
In turn, Armenian Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan stressed the importance of increasing the presence of Greek capital in the country, which, in his opinion, will be mutually beneficial for the economies of both countries.
"The work of the intergovernmental commission on economic, industrial and scientific-technical cooperation between Armenia and Greece is another confirmation of joint efforts to develop multi-sectoral cooperation," he noted. According to him, the work of the commission will open up new prospects in such areas as trade, tourism, agriculture, small and medium-sized businesses, high technology, transport, customs and healthcare.
Papoyan also stressed that one of the most important priorities of the country's foreign policy is the Armenia-European Union partnership. He recalled that the legal basis for this partnership is the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Armenia and the EU, signed on November 24, 2017, which created an institutional framework for further cooperation.
"Identifying new horizons for cooperation, expanding economic ties and the opportunity to achieve real and sustainable peace in the region open up prospects for us that should be used to the fullest extent by our states and peoples. In this regard, I would like to draw attention to the Armenian government's "Crossroads of Peace" project, which has real chances to transform a fragmented region with closed borders into a powerful hub of economic cooperation in the context of global "North-South" and "East-West" interactions," Papoyan said, emphasizing the importance of interaction between countries with common interests in the face of current geopolitical challenges and threats.
