YEREVAN, OCTOBER 1, ARMENPRESS. Armenia and the Czech Republic are making high-level efforts to develop the bilateral economic and business relations, trying to utilize the great potential in the field of mutual partnership.

On October 1, the Armenian Chamber of Commerce together with the Czech side organized an Armenian-Czech Business Forum in Yerevan.

The official opening ceremony was attended by Armenia’s Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Jakub Kulhánek.

In his welcoming remarks, FM Mirzoyan said the Armenian side encourages the Czech businessmen and investors and will provide them with all necessary conditions for running a business in Armenia.

“This is a wonderful occasion to raise the Armenian-Czech economic relations to a qualitatively new level, establish new business ties, as well as for the further productive cooperation. Today’s forum is also a good opportunity to talk about the economic diplomacy. The upgrading of economic diplomacy mechanisms and its implementation is one of the key activity directions of Armenia’s foreign ministry. It would allow to significantly raise the inflow of foreign investments, the external trade turnover volumes, promote advanced technologies and exchange process of experience, increasing tourism volumes, contribute to the intensification of cooperation between Armenian and foreign businesses. Given this, we promote and will provide all conditions for the Czech businessmen and investors to be maximally engaged in Armenia. The favorable business climate, the ongoing economic reforms, the conditions for investments, Armenia’s security and freedom are wonderful preconditions for foreign investments”, Ararat Mirzoyan said.

In this context the FM emphasized that Armenia’s membership to the Eurasian Economic Union, the GSP+ trade regime with the European Union and the GSP regime with the United States, Japan, Canada, Norway and Switzerland, raise Armenia’s investment attractiveness and effective cooperation opportunities with the foreign partners.

He stated that even during the COVID-19 pandemic, certain progress was registered in the development of the Armenian-Czech commercial cooperation, however, he noted that there is still a huge potential which is not utilized and for that purpose the sides must carry out a targeted work.

As a prospective cooperation sector with the Czech Republic, Armenia considers the field of high and information technologies. The FM said that certain actions have already been taken on this path with the efforts of the Armath engineering laboratories and the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies.

“These two initiatives have become Armenian brands which succeeded all over the world. TUMO Centers opened in Paris, Beirut, Moscow, Berlin and Kiev. In this sense, we can consider the possibility of introducing the Armenian high technological solutions also in the Czech Republic”, the Armenian FM said.

According to the minister, other fields of mutual interests are energy, financial sector, tourism, agriculture, healthcare and waste management.

“We also attach importance to the opportunity of conducting Yerevan-Prague direct flights”, the Armenian FM said.

In his turn the Czech Foreign Minister stated that he has arrived in Yerevan to promote the development of the Czech-Armenian bilateral economic and business ties and for this purpose he has brought with him a business delegation representing more than 13 Czech companies.

According to the minister, those Czech companies are interested in strengthening the business ties and establishing new relationships with Armenia.

“Our countries have a long history in trade relations. Armenia and the Czech Republic are famous for their high-quality goods, and the fact that the Czech businessmen visited this business forum shows the interest of the Czech business community to this activity”, the Czech FM said.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan