Armenian President Serge Sarkisian has praised Germany and called for the expansion of bilateral relations after meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel during an official visit to Berlin.
The two leaders said their talks on Tuesday touched on a broad range of issues that included bilateral relations, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and Armenia's stalled rapprochement with Turkey. Merkel said they also discussed issues related to Armenia's progress on the path of democratization.
“Armenia's desire to expand relations with Germany in both bilateral and multilateral formats stems from Germany's balanced policy toward our region and its growing interest in our region,” Radio FreeEurope/Radio Liberty, or RFE/RL quoted Sarkisian as saying.
Sarkisian said closer ties with Germany are also "an important component" of his administration's efforts to deepen Armenia's integration into the European Union.
Boosting trade ties
The two leaders also discussed ways of boosting commercial ties between their countries.
"We should work on facilitating conditions for visa requirements, based on the ongoing talks with the European Commission," Merkel said. "We also just agreed that we should develop a common double-taxation agreement because the present one is outdated. I think this would give German-Armenian relations a push in the economic field. I think there is still potential."
Germany is already one of Armenia's leading trading partners and its leading export market in the EU.
Germany has also been Armenia's second-largest foreign donor after the United States, allocating 220 million euros in loans and grants between 1995 and 2009.
Sarkisian thanked Berlin for the aid, saying it has been "essential" for the success of economic reforms carried out by successive Armenian governments.
The unresolved Karabakh conflict was also on the agenda, with Merkel reaffirming her government's support for the Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiating process mediated by the United States, Russia, and France.
“We think the advancement within the framework of Minsk Group is the best way,” Merkel said, according to Azerbaijan's News.Az website
She also offered Germany's assistance in the peace efforts and accepted an invitation by Sarkisian to visit Armenia next year, Deutsche Presse Agentur, or dpa, reported.
Hurriyet Daily News
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