RA President and Indian Prime Minister discussed Armenian-Indian economic cooperation issues in Delhi 

ArmInfo. President Serzh Sargsyan met today with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as part of his working visit to India.

At the beginning of the meeting, Prime Minister Modi expressed gratitude to the President of the Republic for accepting the invitation and participating in the forum, expressing the hope that the visit of President Sargsyan will give a new impetus to the Armenian-Indian relations and raise them to a new level. The Prime Minister noted that Armenia is a reliable and important partner of India in the Eurasian space.  According to him, Armenian traders were among the first to get to India and stimulated India's trade relations with different countries. The Prime Minister of India congratulated President Serzh Sargsyan on the successful constitutional changes in Armenia and the transition to the parliamentary system of governance, as well as the victory of the Republican Party headed by the Republic of Armenia President in the parliamentary elections.

The President of the Republic noted that he accepted the invitation with gratitude and is glad to be in such a delightful country as India. Serzh Sargsyan presented his impressions of the World Food India 2017 conference and exhibition that opened this morning. The President stressed that he was delighted with the successes of India, which is considered one of the fastest growing economies in the world. He highlighted the progress in the food industry and stressed that Armenia is deeply interested in deepening relations with India in all spheres: political, economic, humanitarian. Noting that historically formed friendly relations between Armenia and India, which serve as the most solid basis for the development of interstate relations between the two countries, the President of the Republic expressed his hope that his visit will give new breath to the centuries-old Armenian-Indian friendship. Taking the opportunity of the meeting, the President once again congratulated Prime Minister Modi and the friendly Indian people on the 70th anniversary of the independence of the Republic of India and noted that Armenia, as an Indian-friendly country, is happy to observe the steady progress of India and is witnessing it increasing year by year. role and authority in the international arena. Mentioning that this year Armenia and India have already overcome the quarter-century threshold of establishing diplomatic relations, President Sargsyan and Prime Minister Moody expressed a common opinion that this anniversary is the best occasion to generalize joint achievements and outline directions for expanding bilateral relations, for which all the prerequisites exist.  According to the interlocutors' conviction, despite the high level of relations between the two friendly countries, there is a great potential for development, with the full use of which, and to achieve tangible progress on this issue, much needs to be done. In the issue of expanding cooperation, Serzh Sargsyan and Narendra Modi stressed the importance of the activities of the Armenian-Indian Intergovernmental Commission, deeming it necessary to complement the meeting of the commission with a new, more targeted agenda. The President of Armenia noted that Armenia is ready to provide favorable conditions for the activities of Indian companies. The President also drew the attention of the Indian side to the Meghri free economic zone, which is being established on the border of Armenia with Iran, which can also become a platform for effective cooperation. Armenia's membership in the EAEU, according to President Sargsyan, as a result of the interaction of friendly India will also ensure unimpeded access to this huge market. The meeting spoke about the opportunities for exchange of experience and active cooperation in a number of areas of mutual interest and specific sectors of the economy, such as, for example, jewelry, diamond processing, pharmaceuticals, information technology, agriculture, food processing, tourism, education, science and culture. President Serzh Sargsyan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi noted with satisfaction that there is active cooperation between the two countries also in a multilateral format, which is best manifested in mutual support in international organizations. The interlocutors touched upon the situation in the South Caucasus and the existing challenges, including the negotiation process to resolve the Artsakh problem. At the end of the meeting, President Sargsyan left an entry in the Book of Honored Guests, noting that he was grateful for the warm welcome he received in friendly India, with which Armenia shares high democratic and universal values.