ARMENIA ATTACHES IMPORTANCE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF RELATIONS WITH HUNGARY
armradio.am
10.11.2009 11:37
While in Budapest, President Serzh Sargsyan made a statement for the
press at a joint news conference with his Hungarian counterpart Laszlo
Solyom. President Sargsyan stated:
"Ladies and Gentlemen:
I express my heartfelt gratitude to my colleague, President of the
Republic of Hungary Lazslo Solyom, for hosting me in Hungary on a
state visit.
Mr. President,
Your hospitality and state status of this visit underscored once
again your determination to move the centuries-long Armenian-Hungarian
friendship into the realm of interstate partnership.
Armenia attaches great importance to the further development of the
Armenian-Hungarian relations in political, economic, and cultural
areas. During the meetings, which were conducted in the atmosphere
of friendship and constructive approach, together with the President
of Hungary we discussed the current stage of our interstate relations
and their perspectives, exchanged views on international and regional
issues of mutual interest. We stressed the necessity to maintain
the continuity of our political dialogue, discussed promising
areas for economic cooperation, and underlined the important role
of rich cultural heritage of the Armenian and Hungarian peoples in
strengthening relations between our two countries.
Taking into consideration the fact that Hungary is an EU country, while
Armenia is involved in the initiatives which facilitate cooperation
with the EU structures, we reached the agreement to view possibilities
of cooperation within that framework, as well as in the framework of
the European Neighborhood and Eastern Partnership programs.
We are confident that the agreements, which have been signed a little
while ago, will enlarge the scope of bilateral relations and will
create new opportunities for the mutually beneficial cooperation.
Among them I would like to invite special attention to the agreement on
the avoidance of double taxation, which is one of the basic documents
for trade and economic cooperation. The agreements signed in the
areas of justice and agriculture will also bring their contribution
to the development of the multifaceted cooperation between Armenia and
Hungary. I hope, that the Armenian-Hungarian business forum that opens
today in Budapest, as well as contacts and agreements established in
the framework of the forum, will also become a serious impetus for
the strengthening of economic ties between our two countries.
Using this opportunity, I would like to express my gratitude to the
Hungarian justice system for its unequivocal and fair stance regarding
the murder case of the Armenian officer Gurgen Margarian. At the
time of the murder, I was the Defense Minister of Armenia and that
horrendous crime shocked me to the core, as I am sure it shocked
normal people all over the world. It is tragic that the unspeakable
crime such as this one can be praised by some individuals as a heroic
act. I am confident, that had not the Hungarian justice adopted such a
resolute position, that kind of atrocity might be occurring in other
countries as well.
With the President of Hungary we spoke also about a number of regional
issues, stressing the importance of stability and cooperation and the
resolution of the existing conflicts by peaceful means and through
negotiations, based on the principles and norms of international law.
We expressed confidence that the conflicts must be solved based on
just and durable solutions, which is possible only if they are based on
the human rights and peoples’ will rather than on political expediency.
I once again express my gratitude to President Solyom for accepting my
invitation to visit Armenia. I am confident that the reciprocal visit
of President Solyom will allow to continue this high-level dialogue,
sum up the implementation of the reached agreements, and identify
new prospects for the development and deepening of the multifaceted
Armenian-Hungarian relations."