IF TURKEY IS GUIDED BY VALUES PROPER TO EUROPEAN FAMILY, ARMENIA AND GREECE WILL NOT HAVE TO ALLOCATE BIG RESOURCES TO DEFENCE SPHERE, GREEK PRESIDENT SAYS
Noyan Tapan
Jun28, 2007
YEREVAN, JUNE 28, NOYAN TAPAN. RA Prime Minister Serge Sargsian,
at his June 27 meeting with Greek President Karolos Papoulias and
the delegation led by him, that arrived in Armenia on a state visit,
stated that the RA government is ready within the limits of its powers
to exert all efforts for fulfilling the agreements reached between
the Armenian and Greek Presidents, for the sake of the two countries
and Armenian and Greek friendly peoples.
S. Sargsian expressed gratitude for the assistance provided to
Armenia by Greece in various spheres so far, especially emphasizing
cooperation and assistance in the military sphere. The Prime Minister
said that working in the security sphere for many years and officially
communicating with the leadership of the Greek Defence Ministry,
he has always felt their warm friendly attitude and readiness to
cooperate. The Prime Minister attached importance to expansion and
further development of that cooperation, especially in this period,
when Armenia implements the Individual Partnership Actions Plan with
NATO, and the experience and assistance of Greece can be of great use.
S. Sargsian agreed to the Greek President’s viewpoint, according to
which friendly neighboring countries pursuing common interests are
not so many in this complicated region, so, for the sake of ensuring
friendly peoples’ security and well-being, the efforts should be
combined as far as possible in the issue of solution of the current
problems and implementation of development programs.
K. Papoulias regretted to say that such a complicated neighbor as
Turkey, which constantly causes problems, if changed and guided
by values proper to the European family, then neither Greece nor
Armenia would have to allocate bigger resources from country’s GDP,
at the expense of social programs, for issues of ensuring defence
and security.
The Greek President expressed satisfaction with not only the high level
of bilateral political relations, but also Armenia-Greece interested
cooperation in the international sphere and their readiness to support
each other. He said that Greece already has some experience in the
respect of European integration and activity within the Euroatlantic
framework and is ready to be useful with that experience on the way
of fulfilment of goals considered as important in Armenia’s foreign
policy.
During the meeting, both sides attached importance to active work of
Armenian-Greek Intergovernmental Commission in the issue of development
of economic cooperation. Agricultural, trade and tourism, military,
educational spheres were numbered among those, in which cooperation
has prospects for the two countries. In RA Prime Minister’s words,
the RA government’s program for the coming five years also attaches
importance to these spheres.
At the end of the meeting the Greek President expressed confidence that
the Greek and Armenian peoples very alike in their human potential,
wisdom and capabilities and having a centuries-old history, which
have been able to overcome all difficulties during their history,
from now on will also be able to have progress and achievements by
supporting each other and deepening the relations for even more.