July 7, 2008 - 14:52 AMT
Armenian-Czech trade and economic ties should strengthen
Activation of Armenian-Czech trade and economic relations will encourage political dialogue between the two countries, Armenia's Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said in his opening remarks before the Armenian-Czech business forum that started in the Armenian Development Agency today.

"Our bilateral relations should develop and I am hopeful that this event will help Armenian and Czech entrepreneurs to establish closer ties. For its part, the Armenian Foreign Ministry will do utmost in its power for proper implementation of joint programs and initiatives," he said.

For his part, Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg said that the potential of the Armenian-Czech relations is not used in toto. "One of the aims of my visit to Armenia is activation of bilateral economic relations. Despite the progress fixed in past several years, the volume of commodity turnover still remains poor," he said.

According to statistical data, the commodity turnover between Armenia and Czechia amounted to $7.7 million in 2004, the figure reaching $18.2 in 2007.