Baltic News Service
November 15, 2004

ESTONIAN PRESIDENT MEETS WITH ARMENIAN COUNTERPART

TALLINN, Nov 15

Estonian President Arnold Ruutel who is on an official visit to
Armenia met on Monday with his opposite number, Robert Kocharyan.

The meeting between the heads of state and official delegations took
place after a formal reception ceremony in front of the presidential
palace in Yerevan, the press service of the Estonian president’s
office reports.

Under discussion were potential areas of bilateral cooperation, among
them sharing the Estonian experience of reforms and European
integration, and economic, cultural and educational experience,
including on the level of local government.

The rector of Tartu University, Jaak Aaviksoo, spoke about contacts
in the field of higher education which go back for more than two
centuries. The best-known example of this is that the founder of
modern Armenian literature, Khachatur Abovyan, was a student at Tartu
in 1830-1836.

State Secretary Heiki Loot spoke about the Estonian government’s
experience of using an electronic information system at its sessions.

Ruutel met also with the chairman of the Armenian National Assembly
Artur Bagdasaryan and other members of parliament. The Armenian
lawmakers showed great interest in tapping into Estonia’s experience
through parliamentary contacts.

The Estonian head of state laid a wreath at the genocide monument.

In the afternoon the presidents opened an Estonian-Armenian business
seminar. Ruutel observed in his opening remarks that bilateral trade
is so far limited to contats between single enterprises.

“But the business delegation accompanying us has come here with a
clear interest in cooperation and finding a niche for instance in the
areas of industrial electronics, telecommunications and information
systems,” the president added.

On Sunday Ruutel and his wife, Ingrid, visited the 1st-century Garni
temple, 13th-century Geghard monastery and Lake Sevan. In the evening
the Estonian president visited also the museum of the renowned film
maker Sergei Paradzhanov.

Estonian Culture Minister Urmas Paet and Armenia’s Minister of
Culture and Youth Affairs Khovik Khoveyan signed at the museum an
agreement on bilateral cultural cooperation.

Ruutel’s official visit to Armenia will continue on Tuesday. The
president is scheduled to return to Estonia Tuesday evening.