Greece interested in stregthening cooperation with Armenia -  Konstantinos Fragkogiannis 

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.