ARMENIAN AND CROATIAN PRESIDENTS HIGHLIGHT CURRENT LEVEL OF POLITICAL DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES

ARMENPRESS
SEPTEMBER 7, 2009
VELIKI BRIYUN

VELIKI BRIYUN, SEPTEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS: President of Armenia Serzh
Sargsyan at the invitation of his Croatian counterpart Stepan Mesic
paid a two-day official visit to the Republic of Croatia. The
delegation headed by the president includes Foreign Minister
Edward Nalbandyan, Economy Minister Nerses Yeritsyan, Chairman of
the Armenian Manufacturers and Businessmen Union Arsen Ghazaryan,
Chairman of Trade-Industrial Chamber Martin Sargsyan, other officials
and businessmen.

After the official meeting ceremony which took place in Veliki
Briyun Island – White House – the face-to-face meeting of the two
presidents took place. The parties highly underscored the current
level of political dialogue between Armenia and Croatia. During the
conversation they discussed partnership between the two countries,
a number of international issues of mutual interest.

Expressing gratitude to Stepan Mesic for warm reception, the Armenian
president noted that the agreements reached during the visit of
Croatian president to Armenia are in process. The circumstance that
there are no open issues between the two countries promotes deepening
of partnership, and the passed historic ways of the two peoples is very
much alike. The sides also noted that there exists bilateral political
will to boost partnership in different spheres. President Sargsyan
positively assessed the circumstance that the delegation headed by him
consists of a large number of businessmen and at tomorrow’s business
forum the sides will have an opportunity to discuss concrete projects
of cooperation, initiatives of economic cooperation.

The presidents discussed issues on prospect of development of
cooperation in the tourism sphere, noting that there exist enough
resources for it. An arrangement has been reached that one of
the Armenia’s provinces start cooperation with one of the leading
tourism regions of Croatia, at the same time the Armenian students
wi in Croatian universities. The parties also discussed prospects of
implementation of joint programs in agricultural sphere.

Croatian president expressed assurance that the deepening of
cooperation between the two countries will contribute to the expansion
of ties between Balkan and South Caucasian regions. Pointing out that
this is his first visit to the Balkan region, President Sargsyan
noted that Armenia and Croatia have the same system of values and
it is necessary to use the great potential which exists for the
development of relations between the two countries.

President of Croatia presented the way his country passed after
getting independence, current agenda of the Croatia’s foreign policy,
informed on process of EU membership. During the meeting it was
noted that tomorrow a protocol will be signed between the foreign
ministers of the two countries on political consultations on the
European integration which is important for putting the cooperation
in this sphere on a firm basis.

Serzh Sargsyan underscored the cooperation between the two countries
within the frameworks of different formats and initiatives of EU.

Armenian president presented to his counterpart the recent developments
of political dialogue between Armenia and Turkey, Armenia’s vision
of normalization of relations, informed about the Karabakh conflict
regulation process.

President of Croatia welcomed the initiative of the Armenia’s president
on normalizing relations with Turkey and expressed assurance that the
normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations will promote establishment
of peace and security in the region.

For putting the cooperation between the two countries on institutional
basis the presidents of the two countries highlighted creation of
inter-governmental commission which will deal with implementation of
all the arrangements and promotion of the cooperation in new spheres.

After the face-to-face meeting the negotiations continued in an
extended format.

On the second half of the day the Armenian President given by
the President of Croatia, visited the exhibition dedicated to the
outstanding political figure Tito.

Today in the evening the delegation headed by the president will depart
for the capital of Croatia Zagreb where September 8 Armenian-Croatian
business forum will kick off during which the presidents of the two
countries will deliver speeches. Tomorrow the president will also
meet with the Chairman of the Croatian parliament. On the same day
the delegation headed by the Armenian president will arrive back home.