President Armen Sarkissian's working visit to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

President Armen Sarkissian has arrived today to Amman - the capital city of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on a working visit.

On April 6, President Sarkissian will participate to the meeting of the World Economic Forum on the Middle East and Northern Africa to which he is invited as a speaker.

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President Armen Sarkissian, who is in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on a working visit, visited Jesus Christ baptism site on the Jordan river.

The President toured the sacred Christian site and made an inscription in the Book of Honor Guests. He noted that care, which Jordan demonstrates towards that sacred site of global significance, is the best manifestation of the solidarity and a dialogue of civilizations.

President Armen Sarkissian visited also the Armenian Sourp Karapet Church and lit a candle.

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President Armen Sarkissian, who is in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on a working visit, participated at the opening of the Middle East and Northern Africa Conference of the World Economic Forum (WEF).

The WEF regional Conference is held through the assistance and high auspices of the King of Jordan Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein and Queen Rania Al-Abdullah.

Present at the opening of the Forum were presidents and heads of state, UN Secretary General António Guterres, over 1000 leaders representing state, business, and political circles.

King of Jordan Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein welcomed the participants of the Forum. The speakers referred to the problems and challenges facing the region and the world and spoke in particular about energy security, clean and renewable energy sources, climate change, and a number of other issues.

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President Armen Sarkissian met in Jordan with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Beibut Atamkulov. The parties exchanged views on the development of the friendly Armenian-Kazakh relations and stressed the importance of using potential existing in different areas.

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President Armen Sarkissian met with the Chief Executive of the Majid Al Futtaim Holding Company Alain Bejjani. The Carrefour Armenia company is also a member to this group of companies.

The parties discussed a program of expanding the Company’s presence in Armenia and investment opportunities, as well as discussed how the Company’s world-wide network could be used to export and sell products manufactured in Armenia. Discussed were also possibilities of using Armenia as a partner for entering the countries of the region.

Majid Al Futtaim is a major UAE company which works in 13 countries including UAE, Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrein, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan, Pakistan, Iraq, Armenia, and Georgia. The Company possess a large number of trade centers, hypermarkets and supermarkets, hotels, movie theaters, etc.

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President Armen Sarkissian, who is in Jordan to participate at the World Economic Forum,  met with the UN Secretary General António Guterres.

Stressing the importance of our country’s cooperation with the UN, President Armen Sarkissian said that Armenia is actively involved in the works of the United Nations and its structures.

“We have a pretty comprehensive and efficient cooperation, also a great desire to make it even more intensive, especially in the framework of UNESCO and UNICEF,” President noted.

Armen Sarkissian also underscored António Guterres’ large contribution to the activities of the Galust Gulbenkian Foundation. He was for years a member to the Board of Trustees of the Foundation. The interlocutors exchanged views on the prospects of cooperation in the framework of the UN and its structures.

The President of Armenia highly praised the UN’s support to the efforts of the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group as the only internationally mandated format for the resolution of the NK conflict. President Sarkissian and the UN Secretary General welcomed the recent meeting of the Prime Minister of Armenia and President of Azerbaijan and underscored that there is no alternative to a peaceful, negotiated resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

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President Armen Sarkissian, who is in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on a working visit, participated at the discussions of Middle East and Northern Africa Conference of the WEF named New Energy for the Middle East.

At the meeting, the President spoke about energy sources in the contemporary world and in that context stressed the importance of “not to damage the nature” principle. Speaking about coal, oil, and gas as energy sources, the President of Armenia underlined the significance of using renewable energy. At the same time, he noted that nuclear energy also should be used. “Nuclear energy is important. Our past was dark because we were burning coal, organic resources. Today, through renewable energy sources, we are trying to add some green color to our gray existence to have an exclusively green and splendid future. The question is whether nuclear energy will be part of it, or not. My personal opinion is that it should be because it will expedite the entire process. No one has yet calculated mathematically damages to the planet, the environment, and the climate caused by burning fuel and coal. Damage to the climate will have a great impact on the planet,” President Sarkissian noted. In his opinion, nuclear energy has future.

“Like many other countries, Armenia has a strictly balanced energy portfolio, starting from the energy nuclear station. It is a station built back in Soviet time which has been working normally all these years and stood strong after two earthquakes. In Armenia, we also push forward with renewable energy. Armenia is exporting electricity,” President Sarkissian said.

He spoke of water as an energy source. “I would like to speak of water as an energy source. It is very important. All countries, which mention having rich natural resources, are rich with sun, wind, oil but not water while water is critically important because in 50-100 years it will become an energy source. It will be used not only for drinking but also for generating energy. I see Armenia as a part of the Middle East. Even though Armenia has neither oil nor gas, it has huge water resources. Unfortunately, we are probably using only 10 or 20 percent of our water resources, the rest is wasted. Water is important,” the President of Armenia said.

He stated that unless dramatic change or steps were made, the road of rejecting coal and switching to renewable energy would be very long, and in the process we would damage the environment and the climate. “Damage to the climate will not be a passive one; it will be dramatic, causing earthquakes, creating problems with food, water will reduce, there will be more deserts and tsunamis. We need to find other solutions, and these solutions could be based more on hydroenergy, new technologies. New technologies must be used, as well as artificial intelligence. These are small details which will be important tomorrow, in the 21st century. We shouldn’t disregard nuclear energy just because we are afraid of it. I agree with the notion that we don’t have much time. We need to carry out parallel processes, not only fighting against the use of coal but also by using oil and gas more efficiently, using renewable energy, hydroenergy, nuclear energy and use as much as possible new technologies and data management since we don’t have much time,” Armen Sarkissian said.

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President Armen Sarkissian participated to the unofficial meeting of the participants of the Middle East and Northern Africa Conference of the World Economic Forum.

The meeting was attended by the King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein, President of the WEF Børge Brende, UN Secretary General António Guterres, Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Bahrain, Latvia, Kazakhstan, Assistant of the US President and Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt, other high-level officials.

President Sarkissian in his remarks spoke about the prospects and the future of our country’s development. Armen Sarkissian presented Armenia as a country of technologies and innovations and noted that high technologies, science, education, innovations, and startups are the main locomotives for the country’s advancement.

He spoke about investment opportunities in Armenia and advantages of doing business in our country. President Sarkissian said that Armenia is not rich with natural resources but possesses a very important resource with different elements – human resources. The President of Armenia underscored that our country has every opportunity to become a very successful scientific and technological country.

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President Armen Sarkissian, who is in Jordan to participate at the regional conference of the World Economic Forum, met with the founder and Executive Chairman of the WEF, famous economic Klaus Schwab. President Sarkissian thanked for the invitation to participate at the Conference and said that he had positive experience and impressions of his years-long participation to the Forum.

The interlocutors spoke of cooperation in the area of innovation and technologies. Referring to the intention to start cooperation with the Fourth Industrial Revolution Center, they said a successful start would open new opportunities for cooperation.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution Center is a global, multifaceted cooperation hub which aims to develop and move forward collaboration based on science and technological advantages.

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President Armen Sarkissian, who is in Jordan on a working visit, met  with the King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein Al-Hashimi.

The King of Jordan welcomed the President of Armenia, spoke with reverence about the Armenian people and noted that the two countries and friendly peoples have deep ties and the historically formed friendship. King Abdallah especially stressed the significant role of the Armenian community in the life of Jordan.

President Sarkissian expressed gratitude for the warm welcome. Underscoring King Abdullah’s as well as his father’s cordial and amicable attitude towards Armenians, Armen Sarkissian said that the best evidence of the Armenian-Jordanian friendship is the Armenian Church on the banks of Jordan river.

The President of Armenia and King of Jordan in a genial and friendly atmosphere spoke about the development of the bilateral relations and opportunities for the expansion of a mutually beneficial cooperation in different areas. According to President Sarkissian, the two countries have multiple similarities: Scare natural resources make Armenia and Jordan highlight and appreciate human resources.

The President of Armenia and King of Jordan concurred that the bilateral relations possess a great potential for cooperation, and the two countries could successfully cooperate in the areas of technologies, education, science, and healthcare.

The King of Jordan said that he would soon send a delegation to Armenia to discuss on site the opportunities for cooperation.

President Armen Sarkissian invited the King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein to visit Armenia.

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President Armen Sarkissian, who is in Jordan on a working visit, in the evening of April 6 met with the representatives of the Armenian community of Jordan.

Addressing the local Armenians, President Sarkissian said, “The very fact that we are residing in different countries of the world, are spread all over, might be not a disadvantage but on the contrary, an advantage because we are one of a few nations which can state clearly: We are a small country, but a global nation.” According to the President, “We are all Armenians and have a responsibility to serve our Fatherland.”

Noting proudly that the Armenian community of Jordan is fully integrated into the life of that country, President Sarkissian said, “It is very important. In all our communities, our compatriots should follow the example of our great poet, singer, and composer Charles Azanvour who used to say, “I am one hundred percent Armenian and one hundred percent French.” This is the model each of us should live with in Spyurk. To be one hundred percent Jordanian, fully integrated in the political, economic, and cultural life of this country, and, at the same time, to be one hundred percent Armenian- this is the formula of success.”

Noting that the royal family of Jordan has been traditionally supportive and cordial towards the Armenian people, Armen Sarkissian said that his meeting with King Abdullah II also testified to the fact. “We have had a very cordial conversation. Discussed the history of our two peoples and relations of the two states, noting that there is a huge potential in various areas. Our two countries have multiple similarities: Not rich in natural resources, Armenia and Jordan appreciate and value the human resource,” President Armen Sarkissian said and added, “Our most precious natural treasure is you, Armenian people.”

President Sarkissian underscored that in the 21st century the most valuable thing will a creative individual. “I am confident that the 21st century will be ours, the era of the Armenian nation because we are a creative nation, our path is the path of intellectual power, appreciation of the mind,” he said.

He also informed the Armenians residing in Jordan that he has invited King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein to visit Armenia.