Thursday, 24 September 2015
PM Hovik Abrahamyan Attends Opening of Eurasian Economic Forum
On September 24, the Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan-headed delegation attended the opening of the Eurasian Economic Forum in Xi'an (China).
The forum is organized every two years. It is attended by numerous heads of government, top executives from international agencies and large enterprises. This year the forum attracted about a thousand delegates.
At the opening ceremony, Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan delivered a speech, entitled “A new model of cooperation: joint development of the Silk Road countries.”
Addressing the forum, Hovik Abrahamyan stated: “In the 21st century, the success of any nation’s economic development chiefly depends on its ability to adapt to the emerging global realities and integrate into the world economy. The rehabilitation of the Great Silk Road will provide a new basis for the development of integration processes. For many centuries, Armenia was considered a major transit link of the Silk Road which used to link Europe and Asia.
Strong with such important historical experience, it was quite natural for Armenia to welcome the idea of establishing an economic zone along the Great Silk Road, which was proposed in 2013 by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Targeted efforts are already underway to implement the project as far as Armenia is concerned.
In addition, due to its geographical location, human resources and multifaceted international economic cooperation, Armenia is a country of great opportunities.
Direct access to the markets of the Eurasian Economic Union and the CIS countries, preferential trade regime with the EU, friendly relations with Iran and Arab countries, as well as a favorable investment and business environment will help strengthen economic ties and expand cooperation aimed at the development of countries in Eurasia.
We are implementing major infrastructure projects to strengthen Armenia’s positions as a link between Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
The North-South Road Corridor is one of these projects, which has an important regional and geopolitical importance. An equally important factor is the positive experience of cooperation with the Asian Development Bank, with the assistance of which the project is being implemented. An important component of North-South Road Corridor is the railroad link between Armenia and Iran, which will provide for a proportionate and balanced development of the region, expand economic ties between countries.
In this context, we are now looking at the possibility of joint implementation of infrastructure projects, in particular, considering the involvement of Chinese companies in the construction of the North-South Road Corridor and the Iran-Armenia railroad, which will ensure our entry into the Central Asian and Chinese markets. In this way, Armenia reiterates its readiness to take an active part in the Silk Road project, emphasizing the motto of the ideology of the project: world for development.
The revival of the historic Silk Road, which used to be a major trade route, will promote political stability and socioeconomic development in all beneficiary countries, as a result progress, prosperity and peace throughout the world.”
