OREANDA-NEWS. November 2, 2010. Meeting of the Head of the Republic of Karelia Andrei Nelidov with the Consul General of the Republic of Armenia in Saint Petersburg Vardan Akopyan who has arrived in our republic on a working visit was held on October, 26 in the Government of Karelia.

Today Armenia is not one of the key economic partners of the Republic of Karelia, and the foreign trade turnover between the two republics is insignificant. It is comprised by export of food articles. However, several years ago paper, cardboard and related products, consumer goods were exported from Karelia to Armenia. Negotiation was devoted to expansion of horizons of cooperation.

Head of the Republic has paid attention of visitors to priority tasks to be solved by Karelian government in the near future, and has also acquainted them with features of budgeting for the next year.

– The Government of Karelia counts on further development of economy of the republic including due to relations with Armenia, – Andrey Nelidov said. – Therefore, we are ready for new joint economic projects.

– We wish relations between Russia and Armenia develop also between their regions, – Vardan Akopjan has noted. – We have close economic relations with regions of the south of Russia – Krasnodar Territory, as well as Saint Petersburg, the Ural Mountains and Siberia. I hope we will be able to estbalish such relations with Karelia.

Petrozavodsk, Karelia, and Echmiadzin (Vagarshapat), Armenia, are also united by sister-cities' relations. Within the scope of cooperation there goes cultural exchange, children from children's homes of Petrozavodsk had an opportunity go spend their vacation in sunny Armenia. Works of G.Grigoryan, a sculptor from Echmiadzin, adorn the quay of Lake Onego in Petrozavodsk, and one of the streets of Echmiadzin is named after the capital of Karelia. There are the national and cultural autonomy of Armenians of Karelia and Karelian regional branch of the All-Russian public organization The Union of Armenians of Russia in the republic that promote preservation of national Armenian culture. Amateur actors of Armenian origin participate in charity programs, ethnocultural projects, concerts, exhibitions and festivals.

– We are ready to give new stimulus to these relations and to find mechanisms to assist development of economic partnership with Karelia, – the Consul General of Armenia said. – We attach great importance to cultural relations which today should be supported with economic contacts, visits of business delegations, acquaintance to economic opportunities of each other. The first step in this direction, according to Vardan Akopyan, may be a visit of the delegation from Armavir area of Armenia to Petrozavodsk.

Head of Karelia has supported this idea. In turn, Andrei Nelidov has suggested to work on prospects of joint development of tourism, as well as organization of children's vacation.