Armenia, Poland to join forces in crime busting
By Tigran Liloyan
ITAR-TASS News Agency
September 4, 2004 Saturday
YEREVAN, September 5 — Armenia’s President Robert Kocharyan begins
a three-day official visit to Poland on Sunday. The two countries
are to sign agreements on military cooperation and on joint action
to combat organised crime.
The Armenian Ministry of Trade and Economic Development and Poland’s
Union of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses are to sign a memorandum
during Kocharyan’s visit.
An official in Armenia’s presidential press service has told
Itar-Tass that the purpose of the visit is to give an impetus to
bilateral relations, map out priorities and orientations for economic
cooperation, and exchange views on matters of international life.
The Armenian leadership believes that Poland, which has gained wide
experience in integration into Europe and in democratic reforms,
can play an important role to Armenia that has also taken course
towards integration into Europe. In this sense, Polish experience
is instructive. Yerevan has thus acquired a new partner within the
framework of the European Union, namely Warsaw, which furthers its
aspirations. By no means unimportant is also Poland’s experience in
attracting foreign investments to the national economy.
Political relations between Armenia and Poland are at a high level
and develop dynamically. However, economic cooperation indicators
are far from the desired quality, the presidential press service
official emphasised.
Yet another problem is posed by a massive flow of migrants from
Armenia to Poland and the unregulated nature of matters connected with
their stay in that country. According to Ashot Ovakimyan, Armenia’s
Ambassador in Warsaw, from 20,000 to 25,000 citizens of the republic
currently live in Poland.
While in Poland, Robert Kocharyan is to meet with President Aleksander
Kwasniewski, as well as with the Marshal of the Sejm, Marshal of the
Senate, and the Prime Minister.