Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan received Indian Ambassador Nilakshi Saha Sinha, who is completing her diplomatic mission in Armenia, the president’s office informs.

The president thanked the ambassador for the work she has done during her tenure and for her efforts to develop Armenian-Indian relations. Khachaturyan emphasized that friendly and trust-based relations have been established between Armenia and India, and they have been actively developing in recent years.

“We are cooperating quite actively in various fields, including political, cultural, economic. Cooperation at the intergovernmental, interparliamentary levels is also active. I have great confidence and hope that we will take our relations to a new level in the near future,” the president of Armenia noted.

In turn, Ambassador Sinha stressed the importance of the warm and friendly ties and cooperation formed during her diplomatic mission in Armenia.

At the ensuing talk, special emphasis was placed on the close and effective cooperation between Armenia and India in the defense sector, noting that it is dynamically developing and is one of the important directions of bilateral partnership.

The parties touched also upon the opportunities for expanding cooperation in the economic, cultural, educational, and high-tech sectors, and underscored the full use of existing potential and the implementation of joint programs.

In addition, they exchanged views on the possibilities of direct air communication between Armenia and India. It was noted that the implementation of direct flights will contribute to increasing tourist flows between the two countries, deepening contacts and mutual recognition between their peoples, as well as intensifying economic and business ties.

The high-level mutual visits and meetings held at various levels that have been intensified in recent years were highlighted, too, which give a new impetus to the development of Armenian-Indian relations and strengthening mutual trust.

During the conversation, the 17th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17) to be held in Armenia’s capital Yerevan in the fall was also discussed. The Armenian president emphasized the importance of this event in terms of confronting global climate and environmental challenges through joint efforts of the international community. The readiness of India's high-level delegation to participate in this conference was highly appreciated, stressing that India's engagement is important for deepening cooperation on these key issues of the global agenda.