Monday, July 8 2019 14:11

ArmInfo. The visit of the Prime Minister of Armenia to Singapore will give new impetus to the cooperation of the two states in various fields. On July 8, welcoming  the Armenian delegation led by RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan,  said Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.  

According to the Singapore's Prime Minister, as the press service of the RA government  reports, , Armenia and the Armenian people enjoy great respect in  Singapore and his government is interested in cooperating with the  Armenian side. Lee Hsien Loong stressed the importance of economic  cooperation, pointing out the need to develop and expand trade and  economic ties.

Thanking for the warm welcome, the Prime Minister expressed  confidence that as a result of the productive negotiations, the  Armenian-Singaporean relations will be consistently expanded. The  head of the Armenian government noted that the whole world is  impressed by the experience of developing Singapore, and Armenia also  considers this experience exemplary. "We are interested in deepening  political, economic and humanitarian cooperation and intensifying the  ties between the two peoples," the RA Prime Minister said, pointing  out the importance of developing interaction between the Armenian and  Singaporean businesses.

The Armenian PM thanked for the warm welcome and expressed confidence  that the Armenian- Singaporean ties will consistently expand based on  the results of effective bilateral talks.  Pashinyan said the whole  world is impressed with Singapore's development experience, and  Armenia as well considers it as exemplary. "We are interested in  deepening the political, economic and humanitarian cooperation and  intensifying the ties between the two peoples", the Armenian PM said,  highlighting the development of cooperation between the Armenian and  Singaporean business. 

Speaking about the priorities of the RA government, Nikol Pashinyan  noted that their goal is to turn Armenia into an economically  technological state. In this context, he attached particular  importance to the development of cooperation in IT sector.

During the meeting, both prime ministers discussed issues related to  the possibility of implementing joint investment programs, increasing  the growth of bilateral trade, cooperation in high-tech tourism,  aviation and other areas.

Nikol Pashinyan presented the institutional reforms being implemented  in Armenia and the steps being taken to improve the business  environment.

The Prime Minister of Singapore welcomed the systemic changes in  Armenia, adding that they would contribute to the economic  development and progress of the country.  Nikol Pashinyan and Lee  Hsien Loong  also raised the issue of signing an agreement on the  creation of a free trade zone between the Eurasian Economic Union and  Singapore. The parties expressed their conviction that the signing of  this document will also increase the volume of trade.

The prime ministers of the two states stated that there is a great  potential for economic cooperation, and noted that the active steps  taken in this direction should be continued. At the same time, in  order to develop tourism, the interlocutors agreed to hold the  Armenian Culture Days in Singapore.

Regional issues were also discussed during the meeting.

Following the meeting, several documents were signed aimed at  developing bilateral cooperation in various fields. In the presence  of Nikol Pashinyan and Lee Hsien Loong  in particular, an agreement  was signed on avoiding double taxation and preventing tax evasion.  The document was signed by Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts and  Senior State Minister of Singapore for Defense and Foreign Affairs  Maliki Osman. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the  Tourism Committee of the Ministry of Economy of Armenia and the  Singapore Tourism Council, aimed at strengthening cooperation in this  field. The document was signed by RA Minister of Economy Tigran  Khachatryan and Singapore's senior state minister of commerce and  industry Koh Poh Kun.

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Ministry of  Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia and  the Ministry of Culture, Community Development and Youth Affairs of  the Republic of Singapore. From the Armenian side, it was signed by  Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, and from the Singapore side - by  the Senior State Minister for Defense and Foreign Affairs Maliki  Osman.

Another memorandum of understanding was signed between the Institute  of Botany. Tahtajyan NAS and the Council of National Parks of  Singapore. It was signed by Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts and  Director General of the Singapore National Parks Board Kenneth Er  Boon Hwee