Greek Ambassador touches upon Armenian-Greek ties: Interview

09:44, 19 March 2014

YEREVAN, MARCH 19, ARMENPRESS: The Armenian and Greek nations are connected with the history of the centuries-old cooperation. The two ancient Armenian and Greek civilizations have always struggled to maintain their independence and freedom. Ahead of the National Day of Greece Armenpress had a talk with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Greece to the Republic of Armenia Ioannis Tais on the development of the bilateral ties and the cooperation in different fields.

- Mr. Ambassador, on 25 March the National Day of Greece is marked. What events are held usually on that day in Greece? How are you going to celebrate the holiday? Are you going to organize something in Armenia as well?

- 25 March is the National Day of Greece, the anniversary of the course which gave birth to the modern state of Greece. As such it is celebrated at all levels throughout the country. On that day in Yerevan the Greek Embassy is organizing a cultural event dedicated to the history of the Greek community in Armenia.

- How do you evaluate the current state of the Armenian-Greek relations? How is the political dialogue developing?

- Greek-Armenian relations are developing actively on the solid basis of the ever since ancient times strong friendship between the two peoples. The recent visits of the Speaker of the Greek Parliament Mr. Meimarakis, the Minister of Defence Mr. Avramopoulos, the Armenian Minister of Defence Mr. Ohanyan, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Gerontopoulos, to name the latest, have significantly enhanced the bilateral relationship of the two countries raising our political dialogue to a new higher level.

- Are you satisfied with the current state of the economic ties? How much is the volume of the trade turnover and what steps do you make to increase it?

- The economic relations between the two countries are not up to our expectations though in 2013 the trade turnover recorded a 13% increase reaching 10,7 million Euros. Consistent efforts are made to bring closer Armenian and Greek business people and familiarize them with the business environment of the other country. In this direction there are plans to hold in Yerevan, next May, an Armenian-Greek business forum.

- Will there be any high-level visits in the nearest future?

- There are initiatives from both sides for high level visits which will greatly strengthen our bilateral relations. The anticipated meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Committee later this year will boost our trade and economic exchanges and will upgrade the economic interaction of the two countries.

- In 2014 Greece assumed the EU presidency for six months. What programs and events do you intend to organize to make the cooperation between the structure and Armenia closer?

- Greece has assumed the Presidency of the EU Council for the first half of this year. It is a very important period not only because of the European Parliament elections next May but also due to the developments that currently take place in our continent. Armenia shares the European values and participates in the EU Eastern Partnership. In Vilnius summit last November, Armenia and the EU adopted a joint statement which reconfirms their commitment to further develop their cooperation. Greece is ready to help strengthen the ties between Armenia and EU.

- The two countries have always kept the military and technical cooperation in the center of attention and regularly update the agreement base. What new programs are intended to be developed in that sector?

- The exchanges of visits of the two Ministers of Defense in 2013 point out the significance of the defense cooperation component of the Greek Armenian relations and it is the intention of both sides to enrich year by year the annual cooperation program. For the current year it includes among other activities, exchanges of military school students, mutual visits and training of officers for participation in international peace-keeping operations.

- Quite many Greek students are getting education in Armenia. Besides, Greek is taught in the Armenian-Greek State College. How do you evaluate the level of the humanitarian cooperation? What exchange programs do you implement in the field of education?

- Greek language studies are quite popular in Armenia and there are Greek courses in the Bryusov Linguistic University and the State University of Yerevan. Greek is also taught in the Armenian-Greek Tourism College. Scholarships are also offered by Greek institutions for post graduate studies in Greek universities. Besides, the relevant bilateral program provides for mutual exchanges of scholars and researchers.

- Both the Armenian and Greek cultures have centuries-old history. Do you intend organizing cultural days in Armenia and Greece to raise the awareness of the society about the cultures of the two countries?

- As you rightly pointed out there has been a very long and versatile interaction between Greek and Armenian cultures. Different cultural events are organized both in Greece and in Armenia by the respective Embassies, with the support also of the local communities, not necessarily in an institutionalized form.

- As the Ambassador of a country, which is considered to be attractive for tourists, what do you think, does Armenia have the potential to attract the tourists and what should Armenia do in this direction to increase its attractiveness for tourists?

- Tourism really makes up a vital sector of the Greek economy. I firmly believe that Armenia has also a good potential in this field and is already making progress. In my personal view, together with the unique Armenian cultural heritage, the mountains of the country can be highly attractive for different sorts of tourism throughout the year.

- Mr. Ambassador, you have already managed to get acquainted with Armenia and its people to some extent. Do you find any similarities between the Armenians and the Greek?

- Greeks and Armenians lived side by side centuries long and this resulted in many common elements in their respective cultures. It is evident in our traditions, the everyday life, and the way we think and live.

Interview by Roza Grigoryan

Greek Ambassador touches upon Armenian-Greek ties: Interview | ARMENPRESS Armenian News Agency

Greek Ambassador touches upon Armenian-Greek ties: Interview

Copyright © 2024 ARMENPRESS

About agency