Czech President Promises Armenia Support in Reducing Economic Dependence on Russia

The Czech Republic will seek to assist Armenia in reducing its economic dependence on Russia and diversifying its economic relations. The announcement came during a joint press conference following a meeting between Czech President Petr Pavel and Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan at the presidential residence in Prague.

President Pavel expressed his support for Armenia's efforts to decrease its economic reliance on Russia, emphasizing that Russia utilizes its influence to pressure neighboring countries and prevents them from expanding relations with other nations. “Armenia has a significant dependency on the Russian market, and we will try to assist the country in reducing that dependence,” Pavel stated, noting that the Council of the European Union had recently decided to liberalize the EU market for about 80% of goods exported from Armenia, eliminating tariffs for a period of two years.

The Czech President highlighted the potential for cooperation with Armenia in various sectors such as energy, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and security. “We focus on these issues during our meetings, and I hope we will achieve concrete results in the near future,” Pavel remarked.

The meeting between President Vahagn Khachaturyan and President Petr Pavel took place on September 3 at the presidential residence in Prague Castle, following which discussions were held with an expanded delegation. After the press conference, President Khachaturyan met with the President of the Czech Senate, Miloš Vystrčil, at the Waldstein Palace. The meeting was also attended by the Senate Vice Presidents and the heads of the committees on Foreign Relations, Defense and Security, as well as EU Affairs.

Further discussions will continue in the Chamber of Deputies, where the Speaker of the Chamber, Radek Vondráček, will welcome the Armenian President. The official visit also includes a meeting with representatives of the Czech Armenian community, as well as an event titled “Solidarity: In Commemoration of the Support Provided by the Czech Republic to Armenia after the 1988 Earthquake.” This event will be held in the “Rothmayer” hall at Prague Castle and will include a meeting with firemen and organizers of humanitarian fundraising who conducted rescue missions in Armenia after the devastating earthquake on December 7, 1988.