Republican Party of Armenia

 Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan received a delegation of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, headed by Zhou Li.

Welcoming the guest, Tigran Sargsyan stated in part, “Armenia is eager to develop relationship with the friendly China as it is one of the priorities of our country. We are glad that high-level political relations have been built between our two countries.”

Emphasizing the need for developing economic exchanges, the head of the Armenian government said there is great potential for their expansion. In this context, Tigran Sargsyan advised that Armenia is going to substantially increase the exports of brandy, agricultural and tobacco products to China this year.

Thankful for the reception, Zhou Li conveyed warm greetings on behalf of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. “You have been making great effort toward the development of Armenian-Chinese relations, which is highly appreciated in China. Armenia is one of our country’s most reliable partners, and we attach great importance to the development and expansion of bilateral ties,” Zhou Li pointed out.

Tigran Sargsyan and Zhou Li stressed the importance of bringing Chinese air carriers into the Armenian market that might give a new impetus to the development of inbound tourism. In this regard, the interlocutors deemed it necessary to work toward the simplification of visa requirements.

The parties touched upon bilateral cooperation in the field of information technologies, telecommunications, education and other areas, as well as cooperation toward the implementation of a number of other programs of strategic importance.

Tigran Sargsyan thanked the Chinese Government for assistance, including, in particular, the replenishment of Yerevan’s bus fleet and the fleet of ambulances, as well as the provision of Yuan100mn-worth financial assistance (about 16 million dollars). This was made public by the Chinese side during Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan’s last September visit to China.