Thursday, 2 February 2017
PM, Swiss Ambassador Discuss Intensification of Economic Ties
Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan received today Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Switzerland to Armenia Lukas Gasser.
The Prime Minister noted that the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Switzerland turns this year, which can be described as stable relationships at a high level. “We are keen to develop cooperation in all areas of mutual interest,” Karen Karapetyan emphasized.
At the same time, highlighting the need to boost economic ties, the Prime Minister noted that there is great latent potential in this area. In order to promote cooperation and business contacts, the Head of the Armenian Government stressed the importance of establishing direct air communications and the fact that Armenia has been benefiting from the generalized system of preferences (GSP) offered by Switzerland.
Stressing that the two countries boast long-time close political relations, Ambassador Gasser concurred in that the potential for economic cooperation is far above of what is being tapped at this point of time. The Ambassador assured that either Switzerland is eager to boost bilateral economic ties.
He noted that effective partnership has been established in regional development, education, science, culture, while a key achievement in the sphere of humanitarian exchanges is the Swiss government’s official statement that the Francophonie summit will be held in Armenia next year. Lukas Gasser welcomed the Premier’s proposal to establish direct air communication between the two countries and expressed readiness to support the launch of this process.
The parties exchanged views on cooperation prospects in agriculture, tourism, information technology, alternative energy and pharmaceuticals. The Prime Minister thanked the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) for support of projects that promote economic development in the remote regions of Armenia.
