Armenia, Luxembourg to step up bilateral cooperation – Nikol Pashinyan meets with Xavier Bettel

As part of his working visit to Louxembourg, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has met with the chief of the country's government, Xavier Bettel, to discuss bilateral cooperation perspectives.

Greeting his Armenian counterpart and thanking him for the visit, the Luxembourg official said he was highly impressed by the political developments in the country over the past year. He expressed a firm belief that the great confidence Pashinyan enjoys in the Armenian public will help his cabinet to successfully implement the projects and initiatives assigned.  Bettel said he also expects the government-level cooperation to continue fruitfully to promote the interstate relations and the strengthening of ties between the two peoples.

Thanking the Luxembourg prime minister for the reception, the Armenian premier said that the country prioritizes the development of interstate dialogue in most different areas. He highlighted especially the economic partnership and the expansion of trade-economic ties. Pashinyan also stressed the importance of intensifying the inter-governmental dialogue through concrete steps, adding that the reforms in Armenia essentially contribute to enhancing the business atmosphere and creating an investment-friendly climate. Noting that Armenia has embarked on an economic revolution (after completing the political transition processes), the premier further elaborated on the plans to conduct the World Congress on Information Technologies (WCIT 2019) in Yerevan.  He attached importance to Luxemourg's attendance at the key event, which annually discusses the evolution and achievements of the Digital Age.

According to a press release by the Office of the Prime Minister of Armenia, the sides also considered possible partnership in different areas of the economy, including particularly the IT sector, reprocessing industries, agriculture and tourism. As an important effort towards intensifying the business ties, they stressed the importance of organizing and conducting business forums. Pashinyan and Bettel agreed that the two countries have an unrealized potential which can be essentially expanded thanks to joint work to increase the mutual turnover.

Bettel, on his part, expressed his willingness to collaborate with, and assist, the Armenian Government in advancing its current reforms agenda. He proposed stepping up the cooperation also in education, particularly through the implementation of inter-university student exchange programs.

The sides also considered the EU-Armenia agenda and other topics of mutual interest.

Pashinyan invited Bettel to Armenia, emphasizing that high-ranking visits essentially contribute to the further development and strengthening of interstate relations.

The two prime ministers later visited the Luxembourg City Hall, where the chief of Armenia's cabinet had a brief meeting with Mayor Lydie Polfer.