OPENING OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH BORDER WILL BE ALSO USEFUL FOR BULGARIA, GEORGI PARVANOV SAYS

Noyan Tapan

Dec 11, 2008

SOFIA, DECEMBER 11, NOYAN TAPAN. On the first day of RA President
Serzh Sargsyan’s two-day official visit to Bulgaria, on December
10, he had a tete-a-tete talk with President of Bulgaria Georgi
Parvanov. The interlocutors highly evaluated the level of the current
political dialogue between the two countries. They said that economic
cooperation and commodity circulation, which amounts to over 150m USD,
are inferior to political dialogue’s level, and proper steps need to
be taken both to change the commodity circulation structure and to
further develop economic partnership.

S. Sargsyan and Georgi Parvanov were pleased to record the good
legal-contractual sphere between the two countries.

G. Parvanov welcomed the Armenian-Turkish dialogue expressing the
hope that the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border will be also
very useful for the Bulgarian side. The interlocutors held the
same opinion that if the border is opened, a possibility of direct
transport, motorway communication will be created between Armenia and
Bulgaria. S. Sargsyan also presented Armenia’s intention to build a
railway with Iran. Both sides mentioned the necessity to carry out
air communication, as well.

The President of Bulgaria expressed readiness to assist Armenia in
the respect of exchanging experience and providing expert assistance
within the framework of EU Eastern Partnership programs.

Four documents have been signed with the two countries’ Presidents’
participation: a protocol of intentions of organization and holding
of days of Bulgarian culture in 2009 in Armenia and days of Armenian
culture in 2010 in Bulgaria, 2009-2014 working plan of cooperation in
the state government sphere, agreement of cooperation in the sphere
of archives work, as well as a protocol on making amendments to
the agreement on excluding double taxation of revenues and property
between the two countries.

According to the report provided to Noyan Tapan by the RA President’s
Press Office, the same day S. Sargsyan had a working dinner with
Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev, during which many problems
regarding cooperation prospects in the economic sphere were discussed.

Then S. Sargsyan met with Chairman of National Assembly of Bulgaria
Georgi Pirinski. Issues regarding Armenian-Bulgarian partnership
were discussed, in particular, importance was attached to further
deepening of interparliamentary cooperation’s positive traditions,
which is of considerable importance for keeping the political dialogue
between the two countries at the proper level.