Prime minister: Intensive work underway to open MSU branch in Yerevan

A long-term program of economic cooperation until 2020 was signed between Armenia and Russia based on the results of the sitting of the Armenian-Russian intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation. At the press conference held following the sitting, the commission co-chairmen – Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan and Russian Minister of Transport Maksim Sokolov stressed the importance of the program, noting that the governments of two countries will implement the projects included in the program.

The Armenian prime minister stated that bilateral trade turnover grows year by year, currently amounting to over $1 billion.
“Bilateral cooperation has potential for deepening and expansion. In this context, we attach importance to the signing of the long-term cooperation program and its implementation,” Sargsyan said.

As regards the issue of Armenia’s entry into the Customs Union, Tigran Sargsyan said his position has not changed and is in keeping with the Russian authorities’ position.

“President Putin’s position was voiced at the meeting of the presidents of the two countries in August of last year. It was the following: given the fact that Armenia has no common borders with the Customs Union, we should try to determine how Armenia can integrate into the CU.

“The CU already has mechanisms that allow reducing transaction expenses that result from the absence of common borders. The mechanisms which are used today contribute to Armenia’s integration into the CU,” Tigran Sargsyan said, adding that the decision of Armenian and Russian presidents was made, given this fact. In his words, now the governments of Armenia and Russia should work on the implementation of that decision.

It was stated during the press conference that intensive work is underway to open a branch of Moscow State University in Yerevan.