Tuesday, 21 November 2017
RA Prime Minister, Swiss Ambassador Discuss Bilateral Economic Cooperation Prospects
Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan received Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Swiss Confederation to the Republic of Armenia Lukas Gasser.
The head of the Armenian government pointed out that the two countries have embarked upon high-level political dialogue. Switzerland is one of Armenia’s primary economic partners among the European countries. The Prime Minister noted with a note of satisfaction that tangible progress has been recorded in bilateral economic cooperation this year: exports grew 3.6 times in January-September, 2017 against the same period in 2016.
Highly appreciative of the Generalized System of Privileges (GSP) granted by Switzerland to Armenia, Karen Karapetyan said the full realization of the great potential inherent in the Armenian-Swiss economic cooperation will help upgrade bilateral ties. “We are ready to develop multifaceted cooperation with Switzerland, attracting Swiss capital into the Armenian market. Armenia can similarly be an interesting platform for the Swiss business to enter the EAEU market, as well as the Iranian market mediating the free economic zone in Meghri,” the Premier emphasized.
The Ambassador of Switzerland stated with satisfaction that significant growth has been recorded in the sphere of economic cooperation in 2017. Ever new investors are visiting Armenia with a view to getting acquainted with the business environment and investment opportunities. Lukas Gasser advised that a number of Swiss companies are already using Armenia as a platform for entering third-country markets, and can set a good example in this respect. He noted that the establishment of a free economic zone on the Armenian-Iranian border is an excellent initiative, which can be of interest to Swiss investors. The Ambassador said the full use of the GSP trade regime by Armenian exporters will also help identify new vectors of bilateral cooperation.
The parties next discussed the prospects for bolstering economic ties between the two countries. In particular, reference was made to the opportunities for developing direct air communication, promoting tourism, cooperating within the framework of free economic zones and Armenia-Switzerland Chamber of Commerce, holding joint business forums, implementing investment programs, improving the business environment etc. The interlocutors also discussed issues related to RA Prime Minister’s participation in the World Economic Forum in Davos.
