Greek Ambassador: CEPA will open opportunities for cooperation in  many areas, and provide conditions for democratic and economic  reforms in Armenia

ArmInfo.The diplomatic relations established between Armenia and Greece 27 years ago are only a small fraction of the centuries-old history that links the  Armenian and Greek peoples, Greek Ambassador to Armenia Nafsika Nancy  Eva Vraila stated n March 25 in Yerevan at the solemn reception on  the occasion of the Independence Day of Greece, which was attended by  high-ranking officials, diplomats, artists.

She recalled that Armenians and Greeks lived side by side during the  times of the two great empires of Ottoman and Byzantine, when there  was no need for visas to communicate. According to her, after the  fall of these two empires, Armenians and Greeks shared the same  torment and fought for the independence of their states. "The  refugees from the Genocide of Armenians and refugees from Asia Minor,  together with the Greeks, found sheltum in Greece for a short or long  time in 1923, and then went further to North or South America, to  Europe and thereby created a large Armenian Diaspora. Those who  stayed in Greece, love Armenia and Greece equally, and in turn, a  small group of people of Greek origin who are fully integrated into  Armenian society lives in Armenia itself, "the Greek diplomat noted.

At the same time, the Ambassador stressed that today relations  between Armenia and Greece are at a very high level, and she  highlighted three successful areas of cooperation. "Firstly, in terms  of political relations, in 1996 the Greek Parliament recognized the  Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire and criminalized its denial.

<Our country supports Armenia in rapprochement with European  structures, welcomes the signing of a Comprehensive and Enhanced  Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Armenia and the EU, and also  prepares to ratify this agreement in the Greek parliament. CEPA will  open up opportunities for cooperation in many areas, as well as  provide conditions for democratic and economic reforms in Armenia,  "the diplomat said, recalling the effective cooperation of the two  countries at international platforms and frequent reciprocal visits  at different levels.

In this context, Nafsika Nancy Eva Vraila informed that today a new  tripartite format is being formed for interaction on political and  diaspora issues <Greece-Cyprus-Armenia>. In this regard, the diplomat  expressed her hope that soon the foreign ministers of the three  countries will meet for the first time in Cyprus.

As the second direction of interaction, the Ambassador pointed to  defense cooperation, which, in her conviction, has been actively used  since the first days of establishing diplomatic relations. "Armenia  and Greece carry out multilateral cooperation in the field of  defense. One of the main areas of cooperation is military education  and training, a large number of Armenian officers were trained in  Greek military institutions. In addition, Armenia and Greece  effectively cooperated in international peacekeeping activities,"  said Ambassador.

As the third important area of cooperation between the two countries,  the Greek diplomat pointed out the exchange of tourists. According to  her, in recent years there has been a significant increase in the  number of tourists from Armenia to Greece, helped by the opening of  regular flights from Yerevan to Athens, as well as charter flights to  Crete, to Thessaloniki, Halkidiki, to the Rhodes and Corfu Islands.  "I am pleased to announce that Greece has become the number one  destination for Armenians, thereby stimulating business contacts and  connections between people. It is undeniable that it is necessary to  further develop and strengthen trade and economic ties, this also  applies to cultural exchanges. We promise to work on these two areas.  We also intend to assist Armenia on the issue of visa liberalization,  "the diplomat said.

In conclusion, Nafsika Nancy Eva Vraila recalled that the  Armenian-Greek business forum was held in Yerevan the other day and  expressed hope that soon the exhibits of Byzantine art brought from  Greece will be on display in the Historical Museum of Armenia.