Updates
Foreign visits
28
01, 2009
Working visit of President Serzh Sargsyan to Switzerland
President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliev met on January 28 at the Radisson Hotel in Zurich.
This is the third meeting of the two Presidents in the process of negotiations for the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
The meeting of the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan started with the participation of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the two countries Edward Nalbandian and Elmar Mamedyarov, as well as the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group Yuri Merzlyakov, Matthew Bryza, Bernard Fassier, and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk.
Later, President Sargsyan and President Aliev continued the talks in the face-to-face format. After the private meeting of the Presidentsof Armenia and the President of Azerbaijan the talks were continued in the extended format.
The Armenian side assessed the outcome of the meeting in Zurich as positive and constructive. During the meeting, the two sides presented their positions on the current stage of the peace talks. The Presidents of the two states directed their Ministers of Foreign Affairs to continue the negotiations in cooperation with the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group. Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham Aliev expressed satisfaction with the fact that the Co-Chairs are working toward the synchronization of the parties’ positions. During the meeting, the parties agreed also on the upcoming visit of the Co-Chairs to the region.
After the negotiations, the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan left for Davos where participated at the official opening ceremony of the World Economic Forum in Davos. After the ceremony, Klaus Schwab, President and Founder of the World Economic Forum, gave an official dinner in the honor of the participating high guests.
In the late afternoon of the same day, the President of Armenia attended the reception held by the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin.
In the morning on January 29, President Serzh Sargsyan has begun to conduct his bilateral meetings.
The President of Armenia met with the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohammed El Baradei. The parties hailed the current level of cooperation between Armenia and the IAEA. At the meeting discussed were issues related to the construction of a new nuclear energy block in Armenia. Dr. El Baradei praised the steps undertaken by the Armenian authorities for the construction of the block and expressed readiness to provide technical expertise on the different stages of the project. The Director General of the IAEA also highly praised the actions of the Armenian Government aimed at the upgrading the safety of the Metzamor nuclear power station.
In his turn, Serzh Sargsyan thanked Dr. El Baradei for the coordination of the donors’ activities on this direction and for the provided advisory assistance.
In Davos President Sargsyan met also with the President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Mr. Haruhiko Kuroda. The President of Armenia expressed gratitude to the President of the ADB for the implementation of joint programs, assessing them as very efficient. Serzh Sargsyan expressed satisfaction with the Bank’s assistance in the areas of governance and infrastructure development and expressed hope that cooperation between Armenia and ADB would continue in the future.
Mr. Haruhiko Kuroda hailed the steps taken by the Armenian authorities in the area of state governance and noted that the Asian Development Bank is interested in developing long term relations with Armenia, stressing the importance of efficient utilization all available instruments for enhancing Armenia’s development.
In the evening of January 29, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan met with the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin.
The President of Armenia and the Head of the Russian Government hailed the existing high level of strategic partnership and political dialogue between the two countries and noted that frequent meetings and contacts help maintain the dynamics of the deepening cooperation.
The two sides summed up positive tendencies in economic cooperation registered in 2008 and expressed confidence that annual commodity turnover between Armenia and Russia, which has already exceeded 1 billion USD, is a strong base for future success. During the meeting the parties discussed also a wide range of issues of the bilateral agenda.
Later same day, President Serzh Sargsyan met with the Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The President of Armenia and Prime Minister of Turkey highlighted the importance of the break-through in the normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations impelled by the September 6, 2008 meeting of the Presidents of the two states which was sustained by the subsequent meetings of the Foreign Ministers of the two countries. President Serzh Sargsyan and Prime Minister Erdogan assessed positively results of their first meeting and instructed the Ministers of Foreign Affairs to exert additional efforts for the normalization of the relations between Armenia and Turkey.
On January 29, President Serzh Sargsyan met also with the President of Swiss Confederation Hans-Rudolf Merz. The Presidents of the two states underlined the high level of bilateral relations as well as those in the framework of international organizations. President Sargsyan thanked the Swiss Government for the assistance provided to Armenia and stressed Switzerland’s traditionally balanced policy toward Armenia in international organizations. The two sides spoke also about the issues related to the mitigation of the consequences of the global financial and economic crises as well as the settlement of the regional problems.
On January 30, the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan continued his bilateral meetings in Davos.
During a cordial meeting with the President of Lithuania Valdas Adamkus, the Presidents of the two states discussed a wide range of issues pertaining to the further expansion of the Armenian-Lithuanian relations.
The President of Armenia noted that the experience of Lithuania and other Baltic states with regard to Eurointegration is very instructive. In his turn, the President of Lithuania expressed readiness to support Armenia on this road through cooperation, assistance, and experience sharing. At the request of Valdas Adamkus, President Sargsyan presented the official position of Yerevan regarding the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and the Armenian-Turkish relations.
President Sargsyan thanked President Adamkus for the recognition by the Lithuanian Seim of the Armenian Genocide noting that “it was a national and world tragedy, and it is a very emotional issue for every Armenian”. President Serzh Sargsyan informed the President Admakus of the intent of the Armenian side to open a diplomatic representation in Lithuania. In his turn, the President of Lithuania invited the President of Armenia to conduct a visit to Lithuania.
President Serzh Sargsyan received the President of France Telecom Company Didier Lombard in his residence in Davos.
The leading distributor of the renown “Orange“ brand expressed gratitude to the President of Armenia for the opportunity to meet and introduce himself. Didier Lombard presented his Company’s short-term and long-term strategy of activities in Armenia, promising that they will be swift, efficient, and up to date.
The President of Armenia welcomed the Company’s entry into Armenian market and noted that any country would be honored to have a partner such as France Telecom. President Sargsyan expressed hope that the Company’s entry into the communication market could be a good base for doing business in other areas of the Armenian economy as well.
The President of France Telecom said that already this fall the Company will be completely ready to provide services to the Armenian subscribers and promised a number of interesting innovations and mutually beneficial solutions.
President Serzh Sargsyan met with the President of Latvia, Valdis Zatlers in the Congress Palace in Davos.
This is the second meeting of Presidents Sargsyan and Zatlers; their first meeting took place last year in New York, during the General Debates of the 63rd General Assembly.
The two Presidents reiterated their political will to further deepen the Armenian-Latvian bilateral and multilateral relations. Serzh Sargsyan and Valdis Zatlers spoke about the recent developments and initiatives in the South Caucasus region and discussed a wide range of issues related to the deepening of the trade relations between the two states, and the expansion of cooperation in the framework of the Eastern Partnership policy. Valdis Zatlers said that he is looking forward to his official visit to Armenia later this year. The two sides agreed to expand the legal base between Armenia and Latvia by signing a number of documents during the forthcoming visit of the Latvian President to Armenia.
President Sargsyan, who arrived to Switzerland to participate at the works of the World Economic Forum, concluded today his working agenda in Davos by meeting with Vaclav Klaus, President of the Czech Republic, which is currently presiding in the European Union.
During the private meeting of Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Vaclav Klaus discussed was a wide range of issues pertaining to bilateral as well as Armenia-EU relations. Vaclav Klaus noted the importance of the South Caucasus for the European Union and underlined that the Eastern Partnership initiative is an important tool for the consistent development of the relations between the countries of the region and the EU. In his turn, President Sargsyan acknowledged the importance of the initiative and reiterated the willingness of our country to move forward, enhancing the process of further reformation and deepening democratization based on the adopted plan of actions. Vaclav Klaus invited Serzh Sargsyan to participate at the Prague summit for the Eastern Partnership.
During the meeting, President Sargsyan noted with satisfaction that Armenia has been provided with the opportunity to benefit from the trade regime of the General system of preferences (GSP+), which will foster trade relations and deepen cooperation between Armenia and the European Union. At the request of President Klaus, President Serzh Sargsyan spoke about the latest developments in the Nagorno Karabakh peace process and the Armenian-Turkish relations.
The President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan met with the representatives of the Armenian-Swiss community at the Zurich Hayat Hotel. This meeting wrapped up President Sargsyan’s visit to Switzerland.
This is the third meeting of the two Presidents in the process of negotiations for the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
The meeting of the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan started with the participation of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the two countries Edward Nalbandian and Elmar Mamedyarov, as well as the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group Yuri Merzlyakov, Matthew Bryza, Bernard Fassier, and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk.
Later, President Sargsyan and President Aliev continued the talks in the face-to-face format. After the private meeting of the Presidentsof Armenia and the President of Azerbaijan the talks were continued in the extended format.
The Armenian side assessed the outcome of the meeting in Zurich as positive and constructive. During the meeting, the two sides presented their positions on the current stage of the peace talks. The Presidents of the two states directed their Ministers of Foreign Affairs to continue the negotiations in cooperation with the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group. Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham Aliev expressed satisfaction with the fact that the Co-Chairs are working toward the synchronization of the parties’ positions. During the meeting, the parties agreed also on the upcoming visit of the Co-Chairs to the region.
After the negotiations, the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan left for Davos where participated at the official opening ceremony of the World Economic Forum in Davos. After the ceremony, Klaus Schwab, President and Founder of the World Economic Forum, gave an official dinner in the honor of the participating high guests.
In the late afternoon of the same day, the President of Armenia attended the reception held by the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin.
In the morning on January 29, President Serzh Sargsyan has begun to conduct his bilateral meetings.
The President of Armenia met with the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohammed El Baradei. The parties hailed the current level of cooperation between Armenia and the IAEA. At the meeting discussed were issues related to the construction of a new nuclear energy block in Armenia. Dr. El Baradei praised the steps undertaken by the Armenian authorities for the construction of the block and expressed readiness to provide technical expertise on the different stages of the project. The Director General of the IAEA also highly praised the actions of the Armenian Government aimed at the upgrading the safety of the Metzamor nuclear power station.
In his turn, Serzh Sargsyan thanked Dr. El Baradei for the coordination of the donors’ activities on this direction and for the provided advisory assistance.
In Davos President Sargsyan met also with the President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Mr. Haruhiko Kuroda. The President of Armenia expressed gratitude to the President of the ADB for the implementation of joint programs, assessing them as very efficient. Serzh Sargsyan expressed satisfaction with the Bank’s assistance in the areas of governance and infrastructure development and expressed hope that cooperation between Armenia and ADB would continue in the future.
Mr. Haruhiko Kuroda hailed the steps taken by the Armenian authorities in the area of state governance and noted that the Asian Development Bank is interested in developing long term relations with Armenia, stressing the importance of efficient utilization all available instruments for enhancing Armenia’s development.
In the evening of January 29, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan met with the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin.
The President of Armenia and the Head of the Russian Government hailed the existing high level of strategic partnership and political dialogue between the two countries and noted that frequent meetings and contacts help maintain the dynamics of the deepening cooperation.
The two sides summed up positive tendencies in economic cooperation registered in 2008 and expressed confidence that annual commodity turnover between Armenia and Russia, which has already exceeded 1 billion USD, is a strong base for future success. During the meeting the parties discussed also a wide range of issues of the bilateral agenda.
Later same day, President Serzh Sargsyan met with the Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The President of Armenia and Prime Minister of Turkey highlighted the importance of the break-through in the normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations impelled by the September 6, 2008 meeting of the Presidents of the two states which was sustained by the subsequent meetings of the Foreign Ministers of the two countries. President Serzh Sargsyan and Prime Minister Erdogan assessed positively results of their first meeting and instructed the Ministers of Foreign Affairs to exert additional efforts for the normalization of the relations between Armenia and Turkey.
On January 29, President Serzh Sargsyan met also with the President of Swiss Confederation Hans-Rudolf Merz. The Presidents of the two states underlined the high level of bilateral relations as well as those in the framework of international organizations. President Sargsyan thanked the Swiss Government for the assistance provided to Armenia and stressed Switzerland’s traditionally balanced policy toward Armenia in international organizations. The two sides spoke also about the issues related to the mitigation of the consequences of the global financial and economic crises as well as the settlement of the regional problems.
On January 30, the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan continued his bilateral meetings in Davos.
During a cordial meeting with the President of Lithuania Valdas Adamkus, the Presidents of the two states discussed a wide range of issues pertaining to the further expansion of the Armenian-Lithuanian relations.
The President of Armenia noted that the experience of Lithuania and other Baltic states with regard to Eurointegration is very instructive. In his turn, the President of Lithuania expressed readiness to support Armenia on this road through cooperation, assistance, and experience sharing. At the request of Valdas Adamkus, President Sargsyan presented the official position of Yerevan regarding the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and the Armenian-Turkish relations.
President Sargsyan thanked President Adamkus for the recognition by the Lithuanian Seim of the Armenian Genocide noting that “it was a national and world tragedy, and it is a very emotional issue for every Armenian”. President Serzh Sargsyan informed the President Admakus of the intent of the Armenian side to open a diplomatic representation in Lithuania. In his turn, the President of Lithuania invited the President of Armenia to conduct a visit to Lithuania.
President Serzh Sargsyan received the President of France Telecom Company Didier Lombard in his residence in Davos.
The leading distributor of the renown “Orange“ brand expressed gratitude to the President of Armenia for the opportunity to meet and introduce himself. Didier Lombard presented his Company’s short-term and long-term strategy of activities in Armenia, promising that they will be swift, efficient, and up to date.
The President of Armenia welcomed the Company’s entry into Armenian market and noted that any country would be honored to have a partner such as France Telecom. President Sargsyan expressed hope that the Company’s entry into the communication market could be a good base for doing business in other areas of the Armenian economy as well.
The President of France Telecom said that already this fall the Company will be completely ready to provide services to the Armenian subscribers and promised a number of interesting innovations and mutually beneficial solutions.
President Serzh Sargsyan met with the President of Latvia, Valdis Zatlers in the Congress Palace in Davos.
This is the second meeting of Presidents Sargsyan and Zatlers; their first meeting took place last year in New York, during the General Debates of the 63rd General Assembly.
The two Presidents reiterated their political will to further deepen the Armenian-Latvian bilateral and multilateral relations. Serzh Sargsyan and Valdis Zatlers spoke about the recent developments and initiatives in the South Caucasus region and discussed a wide range of issues related to the deepening of the trade relations between the two states, and the expansion of cooperation in the framework of the Eastern Partnership policy. Valdis Zatlers said that he is looking forward to his official visit to Armenia later this year. The two sides agreed to expand the legal base between Armenia and Latvia by signing a number of documents during the forthcoming visit of the Latvian President to Armenia.
President Sargsyan, who arrived to Switzerland to participate at the works of the World Economic Forum, concluded today his working agenda in Davos by meeting with Vaclav Klaus, President of the Czech Republic, which is currently presiding in the European Union.
During the private meeting of Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Vaclav Klaus discussed was a wide range of issues pertaining to bilateral as well as Armenia-EU relations. Vaclav Klaus noted the importance of the South Caucasus for the European Union and underlined that the Eastern Partnership initiative is an important tool for the consistent development of the relations between the countries of the region and the EU. In his turn, President Sargsyan acknowledged the importance of the initiative and reiterated the willingness of our country to move forward, enhancing the process of further reformation and deepening democratization based on the adopted plan of actions. Vaclav Klaus invited Serzh Sargsyan to participate at the Prague summit for the Eastern Partnership.
During the meeting, President Sargsyan noted with satisfaction that Armenia has been provided with the opportunity to benefit from the trade regime of the General system of preferences (GSP+), which will foster trade relations and deepen cooperation between Armenia and the European Union. At the request of President Klaus, President Serzh Sargsyan spoke about the latest developments in the Nagorno Karabakh peace process and the Armenian-Turkish relations.
The President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan met with the representatives of the Armenian-Swiss community at the Zurich Hayat Hotel. This meeting wrapped up President Sargsyan’s visit to Switzerland.