LATVIAN PRESIDENT VAIRA VIKE-FREIBERGA VISITS ARMENIA
ITAR-TASS, Russia
TASS
Oct 6 2005
YEREVAN, October 6 (Itar-Tass) – Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga
will discuss the prospects of further developing economic cooperation
between the two countries during her official visit to Armenia,
which begins on Thursday.
Itar-Tass was told at the Presidential Press Service here that the
visit was chiefly intended to give fresh impetus to the development
of inter-state relationships, to promote cooperation and to determine
the priorities of economic interaction. The presidents of the two
countries will discuss also problems of EU-Armenia cooperation and
of regional integration.
They are planning to sign a joint declaration and some
intergovernmental agreements on the stimulation and mutual protection
of investments, on cooperation in the customs sphere, and also
in culture.
“Armenia highly appreciates the present level of its relations
with Latvia and is determined to make its bilateral relations with
that country even stronger than now, to promote cooperation in the
economic domain,” officials of the Armenian President’s Office noted
on Thursday. “Active cooperation with Latvia is very desirable for
Armenia, for using Riga’s experience in the effort to effectively
surmount the difficulties of the transition period,” officials of
the Presidential Office stated.
Military cooperation between Armenia and Latvia is also developing
quite effectively, an official of the presidential administration
noted. Armenia is planning to completely reorganise its armed forces
and, therefore, it is important to analyse the Latvian experience
in the reform of the armed forces, as well as in peacekeeping and in
civil defence.
It is believed in Yerevan that in spite of the existing positive
tendencies, economic cooperation between Armenia and Latvia is still
unsatisfactory. For instance, trade turnover between the two countries
added up to slightly more than two million U.S. dollars last year and
to 1.5 millions in the first six months of the current year. Armenian
exports are expected to grow notably this year.
The sides will also touch on the possibility of their cooperation
both within the European structures and in other international
organisations, officials of the Armenian presidential administration
pointed out.