YEREVAN. - Prime Minister of Armenia Karen Karapetyan on Thursday received Ambassador of Switzerland to Armenia, Lukas Gasser.

The Premier noted that this year marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Switzerland, which can be described as high-level stable relations. “We attach importance to the cooperation with Switzerland and are interested in its development in all the spheres of mutual interest,” Karapetyan stressed.

At the same time, the Premier underscored the need for intensifying the trade and economic relations, noting that there is great unrealized potential in this sphere. In order to foster cooperation and activate business contacts, the Karapetyan stressed the importance of establishing direct air communication, as well as the fact that Armenia has been benefiting from the generalized system of preferences (GSP) provided by Switzerland.

Stressing that the two countries have long-time close political relations, Ambassador Gasser, for his part, agreed that the potential for economic cooperation is far above what is being currently realized. The Ambassador assured that Switzerland is also eager to boost the bilateral economic ties.

According to him, effective partnership has been established in the spheres of regional development, education, science and culture, a key achievement in the humanitarian sphere being the Swiss government’s official statement on that the Francophonie summit will be held in Armenia next year. Furthermore, Lukas Gasser welcomed the Premier’s proposal to establish direct air communication between the two countries, expressing readiness to support the launch of this process.

Apart from this, the sides exchanged views on the cooperation prospects in the sphere of agriculture, tourism, information technologies, alternative energy and pharmaceuticals.

Prime Minister Karapetyan thanked the Ambassador for the support projects of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), which promote the economic development in the remote regions of Armenia.