YEREVAN. – The Prime Minister of Armenia, Karen Karapetyan, on Friday received Argentine Ambassador Gonzalo Urriolabeitia.

Noting that the two countries have strong ties of friendship due to the vibrant Armenian community in Argentina, the Prime Minister said Armenia was ready to expand cooperation, the press office of the government informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Prioritizing the developing trade and economic relations, Karapetyan pointed out, however, that although Argentina had a significant share in the foreign investments to Armenia, the volume of bilateral trade was unsatisfactory and that there was still much to be done to tap to its full potential.

The Premier suggested organizing a business forum, or Argentina open days, in Armenia, and raising awareness of investment opportunities in the country. In this context, Karapetyan noted the success of Argentina Wine Week in Armenia.

Ambassador Urriolabeitia, for his part, said Argentina had always attached importance to development of bilateral relations with Armenia, and stressed that efforts have to be made to ensure this approach was equally reflected in economy. He noted that the Embassy of Argentina was actively working with the Armenian government, so as to develop mutually beneficial investment projects, and he gave details on their progress.

The interlocutors concurred that agriculture was of particular importance for Armenian-Argentinean economic cooperation. In this connection, they exchanged views on agribusiness management, supply of agricultural machinery, and coordination of consultancy. Also, both sides stressed the need to take steps toward promoting tourism.