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President Vahagn Khachaturyan has said that the Armenian government is currently conducting talks with Czech counterparts on new avenues of cooperation in a number of areas, particularly the storage and reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel from the Armenian nuclear power plant.
Speaking at a press briefing summing up his official visit to the Czech Republic, Khachaturyan said in response to a question from Armenpress that the two countries are also discussing possible cooperation in the procurement of equipment needed for the construction of a new Yerevan metro station.
He said certain agreements have already been reached for the implementation of planned projects in the energy, industry and transport sectors.
“The Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of Armenia is currently negotiating with the Czech Ministry of Transport, mainly with the aim of reaching certain agreements regarding equipment related to the construction of a new Yerevan metro station.
The Czech Republic, formerly Czechoslovakia, was better known for the production of trams and trolleybuses, and now we are trying to understand to what extent it is possible to use the Czech Republic’s potential,” Khachaturyan said.
According to the President, another important area of discussions with the Czech Republic is the storage of nuclear power plant fuel. He expressed hope that the sides would be able to reach agreements on using the Czech Republic’s capabilities in this area.
“I think agreements will also be reached on using the relevant capabilities available in the Czech Republic for storing nuclear power plant fuel. The Czech Republic is known in this field today, and we hope that these agreements will be reached and that we will also be able to resolve the issue of storing spent fuel, because these issues are of significant importance.
Moreover, the nuclear power plant has started operating, and we have full authorization for another five years, until 2031. After that, we will probably have another five years. This means that the issue of storing and reprocessing spent fuel will be on the agenda,” the President of the Republic of Armenia said.
According to Khachaturyan, Armenia and the Czech Republic also have cooperation programs and projects in other areas. An opportunity for businesspeople from the two countries to meet may arise during the meeting of the Armenian-Czech intergovernmental commission planned for the autumn.
“We also have cooperation programs and projects with the Czech Republic in other areas. An intergovernmental commission meeting is planned for the autumn, and I think we should give our business communities an opportunity to meet with each other,” Vahagn Khachaturyan said.
The President of the Republic of Armenia emphasized the importance of expanding Armenia’s trade and economic ties and organizing work with new markets in advance. He recalled that certain economic difficulties had arisen for Armenia over the past two months, to which EU countries responded quickly.
“You saw what happened over the past two months, when economic difficulties arose. There was an immediate response from EU countries. Recently, Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan presented the agri-food export figures, and it turned out that we have a decrease of only 1.9 percent.
This is the result of our ability to very quickly use the opportunities available with our European partners and overcome this situation. Now, all of this needs to be done in advance. During official visits and meetings of intergovernmental commissions, very specific issues need to be resolved,” the President of Armenia emphasized.
Armenia needs to have a clear understanding of what opportunities it has to expand trade and economic relations with each country, the President highlighted.
President Khachaturyan also addressed the discussions held in the Czech Senate, noting that Czech legislators had shown great interest in the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
“There was a very interesting discussion in the Senate. There was a great deal of interest. They were trying to understand what is actually happening in Armenian-Azerbaijani relations. In addition to official statements, they wanted to know specifically what progress had been made and what opportunities existed.
They are also encouraged that the two countries are genuinely moving toward peace, and the Czech Republic can also become a participant and use these opportunities,” Khachaturyan elaborated.
The President said achieving further success in the region requires continuous work and a willingness to resolve issues with neighbors without intermediaries.
“We must work continuously. When I look at what may happen in our region in the future, if no additional problems arise and we ourselves try to resolve our issues with our neighbors without any mediation, I become convinced that we will achieve success, regardless of everything.
What the Republic of Armenia is presenting in its five-year program and the main guidelines set out in the program adopted by the Government point precisely to this. We are looking ahead, looking to the future, pursuing realistic policies, and at the same time, we do not forget what exists in reality,” Vahagn Khachaturyan concluded.
President Khachaturyan was in Prague on an official visit from September 2 to 4. He met with President Petr Pavel, held meetings at the Czech Senate and Chamber of Deputies, delivered a speech at CEVRO University, and met with representatives of the Armenian community.