President receives EIB Vice-President Wilhelm Molterer

President Serzh Sargsyan today received Wilhelm Molterer, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank (EIB).

The President welcomed the guest to our country and expressed the hope that Mr. Molterer’s visit will give a new impulse to Armenia’s cooperation with the EIB which is directed at ensuring stable economic growth in Armenia. Serzh Sargsyan praised the bank’s mission and its current activity in our country, expressing satisfaction with the fact that the cooperation with the EIB has been marked by activeness and effectiveness. The Armenian President also stressed that taking into account the economic importance of the sectors financed by the bank and its current portfolio, the bank may be deemed as a strategic partner for our country.

The EIB vice-president too expressed satisfaction with the cooperation the bank has carried out with Armenia since 2007, emphasizing that it could set a good example for other working partners.

Wilhelm Molterer noted that at present, the bank is working towards the preparation of the next phase of collaboration with Armenia which will be grounded on Armenia’s economic policy priorities.

At the meeting, the interlocutors attached great importance to the bank’s support for infrastructure development projects, agreeing that presently, it is the only way for Armenia to develop through ensuring long-term stable economic growth by means of boosting economic competitiveness. However, the parties agreed that it is meaningless to speak about competitiveness and stable economic growth in default of developed infrastructure.

The RA President and the EIB vice-president also touched upon the prospects for promotion of cooperation between Armenia and the European Union and upon the upcoming steps and in that context, placed great weight on pushing forward the agenda for EU-funded reforms in Armenia.