14:57,
YEREVAN, JUNE 15, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received FIFA President Gianni Infantino, the PM’s Office said.
The FIFA President arrived in Armenia to attend the celebrations dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Football Federation of Armenia.
Welcoming Gianni Infantino’s visit to Armenia and participation to the FFA’s 30th anniversary celebrations, the Armenian PM said this shows the productive cooperation between the FFA and FIFA. Pashinyan praised the fact that around 90 small football fields have been built in Armenia in recent years with the support of FIFA and the government’s programs.
“The development of football infrastructures not only has a sports, but also a great educational, social and cultural importance. The government has initiated radical reforms in the field of healthy lifestyle and attaches importance to the cooperation with FIFA and other international partners”, PM Pashinyan said.
The FIFA President thanked for the appreciation and stated that he is visiting Armenia for the first time and is impressed with the country, its rich history and culture. Gianni Infantino highlighted the importance of sport-education ties and stated that FIFA will continue supporting Armenia in the programs of developing football infrastructure.
The sides exchanged ideas about the cooperation agenda. They, particularly, discussed the issue of building a national stadium. PM Pashinyan said that the construction of the national stadium meeting the international standards is one of the priorities of the government, and certain works are being done on this direction. The FIFA President emphasized the importance of such an infrastructure from the perspective of the country’s sports reputation and stated that FIFA will support this process with all possible tools. In this context FFA President Armen Melikbekyan presented the activities done so far.
Both sides reaffirmed the readiness to strengthen the partnership and highlighted the key role of FIFA Foundation’s Executive Chairman, famous ethnic-Armenian retired football player Youri Djorkaeff in this process.
On behalf of FIFA, Gianni Infantino gifted a T-Shirt to the Armenian PM with his name and a 2022 World Cup Ball.