Thursday, 24 September 2009
Scheduled to attend the 11th sitting of the Armenian-Russian intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation, earlier today the Republic of Armenia Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan-led government delegation arrived in Jaroslavl on a two-day working visit. At the airport, Tigran Sargsyan was met by Russian co-chair of the intergovernmental commission, RF Minister of Transport Igor Levitin, Governor of Jaroslavl Region Sergey Vahrukov, commission members and representatives of local administration..
At noon, the Armenian Prime Minister met with the representatives of the Armenian community of Jaroslavl.
Addressing those present, Tigran Sargsyan briefed them on Armenia’s economic status and his government’s anti-crisis action. According to the head of the executive, the year 2010 offers good prerequisites for guarded optimism. It may become a point of return for the national economy, which is believed to usher in a stage of sustained development thereafter. Armenia’s economy was said to have been strongly influenced by economic trends and developments in Russia.
Tigran Sargsyan took the opportunity to speak about regional agenda and the latest developments in Armenia-Turkey relations. The Prime Minister conveyed Armenia’s determination to establish relations without preconditions.
Then, the head of government answered a set of questions asked by our compatriots concerning the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict, the development of transport infrastructures, the strengthening of interstate and interregional economic exchanges between Armenia and Russia, the ways of preserving expatriate Armenians’ ethnic identity and addressing their problems. The Prime Minister also spoke about the need for achieving enhanced national competitiveness and providing higher-quality education in Armenia, preserving our people’s historical and cultural heritage, ensuring harmonious development for border villages, as well as enabling dual citizenship for our compatriots.
In conclusion, Tigran Sargsyan witnessed his government’s interest in getting Armenian labor involved in engineering activities under the ongoing preparations for the Sochi-2014 Olympic Games.
After the meeting, the head of the Armenian government had private talks with governor of Jaroslavl region Sergey Vahrukov. To begin with, the parties discussed trade-related issues, including the possibilities for encouraging mutually beneficial cooperation between enterprises from Armenia and Jaroslavl region. The importance of promoting scientific and cultural ties was emphasized on either side. Next, the parties took up the issue of the St George Armenian church to be built in Jaroslavl. Tigran Sargsyan expressed Armenia‘s appreciation of local authorities’ thoughtfulness of the needs of the nearly 7 thousand-strong Armenian community of Jaroslavl.
Following the interview, accompanied by Russian co-chair of the intergovernmental commission Igor Levitin and Jaroslavl governor Sergey Vahrukov, the Prime Minister of Armenia visited the St Vedena monastery of Tolga to meet with Mother Varvara, a prominent spiritual figure in Russia.
The plenary session of the Armenian-Russian intergovernmental commission on economic affairs will be held tomorrow, the 25th of September.
