On 4 April, the Armenian-Russian Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation between the Republic of Armenia and the Russian Federation held its 19th session in Moscow. The session was chaired by the Commission’s co-chairs (Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Mher Grigoryan and Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation Yevgeny Ditrikh). Among the participants from Armenia were Minister of Education and Science Arayik Harutyunyan; Minister of Transport, Communication and Information Technologies Hakob Arshakyan and First Deputy Minister of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources Garegin Baghramyan.

In the beginning, the co-chairs stated that, overall, the decisions adopted during the previous session had been implemented through the joint efforts of the relevant government agencies of the two countries.

Opportunities for enhancing cooperation in the spheres of high technologies, radio-electric industry, transport, food safety, healthcare, education and science were discussed during the session. The co-chairs emphasized that it is necessary to pay special attention to the growth of tourism and attached importance to the 2019-21 Action Plan for cooperation between the relevant government agencies that was signed after the session.

The co-chairs stated, with satisfaction, the positive dynamics of reciprocal trade between Russia and Armenia and stated that the parties would continue to work jointly to expand the cooperation. In 2018, the trade turnover between the two countries made up nearly USD 2 billion and increased by 11.2 percent compared to 2017.

Special importance was attached to the idea of creating an Armenian-Russian Business Council which, according to the co-chairs, will promote the deepening of effective cooperation of business communities of the two countries.

The parties welcomed the agreement to establish an Armenian-Russian investment fund for the high technologies sector and emphasized the role of the Eurasian Development Bank in this process.

The co-chairs attached special importance to the growth of interregional cooperation and the organizing of an Armenian-Russian interregional conference every year.