YEREVAN, MARCH 12, ARMENPRESS.  The Armenian-Lebanese relations and the relations between the two peoples are deeply rooted in history, ARMENPRESS reports Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri said during the joint press conference e with Armenian Premier Karen Karapetyan.  According to him, such historical links are also conditioned by the important role of the Armenians in Lebanon.

“For me it’s a great honor that my father, Rafic Hariri, was the first person to established firm fraternal relations with Armenia in 1991. And we are committed to continue this path for the benefirt and welfare of the two countries and peoples”, Hariri said.

The Lebanese PM said during the talks with the Head of the Executive of Armenia they agreed to strengthen and develop relatiuons between Armenia and Lebanon in different spheres, particularly in the banking sector.

“We agreed to strengthen and develop relations between Armenia and Lebanon in different spheres and at different levels, specifically in the banking sector, especially as the Lebanese banks are known worldwide and have great potential to finance public and private projects. We are proud of our banking sector’s achievements as evidenced by numerous successful projects.

We will see that the intergovernmental commission could meet in the near future following the planned elections in Lebanon.

We shared the view that the long-standing relations between our countries should be tapped: I personally will closely follow the matter. Yes, I admit that while it is nice to have historical relations, but we also need to develop our economic relations. Today, the Prime Minister of Armenia will hold several meetings with private sector representatives in a bid to encourage mutual investments. It stems from the best interests of the two countries. My counterpart suggested an idea that we should explore in detail. It will encourage investments, and we have to implement it in the nearest future.

We also talked about cooperation in the field of technology. In general, there are many prospective areas where Lebanon and Armenia can cooperate.

Relations with Armenia are of special importance to me. God willing, we can develop them in the future through joint efforts”, he said.

English –translator/editor: Tigran Sirekanyan