Tuesday, 22 September 2015
Armenia, China Premiers Discuss Ways of Expanding Economic Cooperation
On September 22, 2015, Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan met with China State Council Chairman (Prime Minister) Li Keqiang in Beijing.
Welcoming the Prime Minister of Armenia, the Chairman of the State Council of China thanked him for accepting the invitation to visit China and attend the Eurasian Economic Forum. Highly appreciative of the Armenian-Chinese relations, Li Keqiang expressed confidence that his Armenian counterpart’s visit might help promote the development and strengthening of bilateral cooperation.
Thankful for the warm welcome, Prime Minister Abrahamyan pointed out that the development of relations with China is a foreign policy priority for Armenia. Stressing that there is great potential for cooperation in the economic sphere, Hovik Abrahamyan expressed conviction that his visit would give fresh impetus to bilateral ties and economic cooperation.
Stating that a high-level political dialogue had been nurtured by the two countries in recent years, the interlocutors hailed RA President Serzh Sargsyan’s State visit to China in March, 2015, which elevated the two nations’ friendly relations to a qualitatively new level and boosted the momentum of the Armenian-Chinese interaction.
“I wish to emphasize that strong with the outcome of the meeting held between the leaders of Armenia and China, we are actively working toward boosting bilateral relations and implementing the agreements reached,” Hovik Abrahamyan said.
Both sides stressed the importance of continued cooperation in the fields of infrastructure development, energy, transportation, chemical industry, agriculture, tourism, science, education, culture and civil aviation. In this context, they noted the importance of the Armenian-Chinese intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation. Prime Minister Abrahamyan said to be pleased with the fact that bilateral trade had been on the upgrade in recent years leading to a significant increase in trade turnover (more than half a billion dollars).
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang noted in turn that cooperation was developing effectively in all sectors - political, economic and humanitarian, and his country was keen to deepen and strengthen them ahead.
As the two prime ministers discussed Iran-Armenia Railroad and North-South Road Corridor investment programs, the Chinese Premier reiterated his country’s interest in them. He expressed readiness to implement joint projects in infrastructure, industry, humanitarian and other spheres. Li Keqiang advised that Armenian students’ scholarship was going to be raised in China next year.
At the end of the meeting, Hovik Abrahamyan invited his Chinese counterpart to make an official visit to Armenia. The invitation was accepted with pleasure.
