YEREVAN, November 21. /ARKA/. China is ready to enhance cooperation with Armenia in the context of joint promotion of the Silk Road project, China’s Ambassador to Armenia Tian Erlong told reporters on Wednesday on the sidelines of an international conference in Yerevan, marking the 40th anniversary of China’s policy of reforms and opening, launched in 1978 by China’s then Communist leader Deng Xiaoping.
He said China looks at Armenia as a friendly country in the region backed by historical ties. According to the ambassador, now the relations between the two countries are very good and the cooperation potential is very large and therefore, in the context of joint promotion of the Silk Road project, Beijing sees great opportunities for cooperation with Armenia, for example, in the construction sector, infrastructure improvements, IT and high technology.
He said the revival of the Silk Road project implies, first of all, establishment of mutual interconnection between Europe and Asia to enhance integration trends. The ambassador noted also that the priority sectors of cooperation are transport, energy and telecommunications.
"Armenia is a landlocked country. This is why this is an urgent issue. China is now the country with the largest scale of infrastructure construction, and we can offer our assistance," Erlong said.
The ambassador stressed that China is the second largest economy in the world and the number one trading partner for more than 130 countries.
The conference, organized by the Chinese Embassy in Armenia and the Noravank Research Foundation, was attended by members of the government, the parliament, representatives of some embassies, as well as by experts from Armenia and other countries. –0–