MINSK, 12 November (BelTA) – Armenia is interested in advancing cooperation with Belarus along several avenues, in particular, the implementation of joint projects in the spheres of education, information technologies, and woodworking. The statement was made by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Armenia to Belarus Armen Ghevondyan as he met with Belarusian Forestry Minister, co-chairman of the Belarusian-Armenian intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation Vitaly Drozhzha, the ministry’s press service told BelTA.
The ambassador said: “We should also think about the advancement of decentralized cooperation. Our regions have signed rather many agreements. We expect the regions to put forth initiatives.”
The ambassador also mentioned how Belarusian pines had taken root on the shore of the famous Lake Sevan. A forest of Belarusian-Armenian friendship was planted in spring 2018. “Our specialists have analyzed the survival rate of the saplings: it is about 80%. It is a very good result for Armenia. This is why today we are also interested in using your saplings,” he remarked.
Vitaly Drozhzha pointed out that in the last few years Belarus and Armenia have considerably increased the volume of trade and economic cooperation, however, significant potential has yet to be explored. In 2017 Belarus-Armenia trade rose by nearly 33% to over $42.5 million. “It is a good pace. Today instead of simply preserving it we have to increase it,” he stressed.
Today the legal base of Belarusian-Armenian relations includes about 80 interstate, intergovernmental, and interagency agreements.