Prime Minister Pashinyan’s official visit to Italy continues. As part of the visit, Prime Minister Pashinyan had an interview with Deputy Governor of the region of Lombardia Fabrizio Sala in Milan. Milan is the capital of Lombardia.

Greeting the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, the Deputy Governor said: “Welcome to Italy. It is a pleasure to meet you, knowing your story. Thank you for this meeting. I hope that this meeting will help us further strengthen and deepen the relations between Armenia and the region of Lombardia.

The agenda of our international relations is very rich, I returned from the United Arab Emirates yesterday, while the Governor is in China. We have very good relations with the outer world. The capital of our region, Milan, is the second largest city in the world with the number foreign consulates. People are breathing in cross-border air in our city not only in business terms, but also in terms of social and international relations.

I greet you on behalf of our Governor, who is visiting China and will be back Sunday. We can not sit at home.”

Prime Minister Pashinyan noted: “Thank you very much. I am happy to meet you. It is clear that our relations with Italy are entering a new phase, first and foremost on the economic front. As far as Lombardia is concerned, I think there is great potential for cooperation, and first of all, that is what the business needs. I can give you an example: Last year, Ryanair expressed interest in launching flights to Armenia and when a relevant decision was made, they had to decide on their first flight destinations.

To tell the truth, it was a surprise for me when I learned that they had decided to take the first flights from Italy, and in particular from Milan and Rome. And when I wanted to understand the reason for this decision, I realized that it was the economic dynamic that drove them in these directions. In 2019, we launched three very serious projects with Italy in Armenia. In partnership with Siemens Renco began construction of a nearly USD 300 million-worth thermal power plant in our country. By the way, Ryanair will open this summer its next destination from Germany. I attribute this to the involvement of Siemens. I mean I came to the conclusion that once we provide appropriate political conditions for bilateral economic relations, companies react very quickly.”

Nikol Pashinyan and Fabrizio Sala discussed the possibility of developing cooperation between Armenia and Lombardia. They focused on the prospects for joint projects in machine building, information and communication technologies, tourism, innovative training and startups. Both sides emphasized that the joint initiatives will create a climate of trust between the business communities and stimulate new investment.

The Prime Minister presented the reforms underway in Armenia, noting that his government’s goal is to create a free economic environment for investment. The Head of Government introduced the opportunities for doing business in Armenia as part of integration unions, both within the EAEU and the EU, and asked the Deputy Governor to convey this information to their media outlets.

Fabrizio Sala said the business community of Lombardia is interested in implementing investment projects in Armenia and that they are considering delegating a business mission to our country.

The interlocutors stressed the importance of tapping the tourism potential and gave great importance to the launch of Rome-Yerevan and Yerevan-Milan direct flights.

The parties reached agreement to launch discussions on the subject at the level of the agencies concerned and to work actively on specific projects.

* * *

Lombardia accounts for 22% of Italy’s GDP, of which Milan, the capital city of Lombardia, accounts for 9% alone. Its population is estimated at more than 10 million, making it the most populated Italian region and the third largest in Europe after Paris and Baden-Württemberg, Germany.