Republican Party of Armenia

 Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan received Mayor of Venice Giorgio Orsoni on his first-ever visit to Armenia in the framework of “Yerevan World Book Capital – 2012” project. The meeting was attended by Italian Ambassador to Armenia Bruno Scapini.

”I am happy to welcome you to Armenia, especially after the signing of a cooperation agreement between the two cities in Venice. I think it opens up a new chapter in our relations. Please rest assured of our keen interest in building on our ties as there are many fields with huge cooperation potential. My government will spare no effort to tap on the existing potentialities,” the head of government stated.

Thankful for a warm welcome, the mayor of Venice said the primary goal behind the twinning is to expand economic and cultural cooperation. Note that the two mayors signed a cooperation agreement between Yerevan and Venice in the framework of the Armenian President’s December, 2011 visit to Italy).

Touching on cooperation possibilities, Tigran Sargsyan singled out tourism and textile industry as the most promising fields of interaction. In this regard, the need for establishing direct air communications was emphasized on either side. Giorgio Orsoni expressed readiness to expand cooperation and share know-how.

Both sides acknowledged the importance of enhanced business contacts between Armenia and Italy. In this context, they welcomed the idea of holding a bilateral business forum in Italy this fall.

Reference was also made of the Armenian-Italian centuries-old cultural ties. The Mayor of Venice noted that an important role was played by the St. Lazar island-based Mkhitaryan Congregation and Murad - Raphaelian College in this respect. He stressed that efforts will be made to re-launch the two educational centers’ activities.