On February 23 RA NA President Artur Baghdasaryan met with Erika Stubenvoll, Vice President of Vienna LandTag, who is also the chairperson of the Committee on Social and Economic Affairs. During the meeting a wide frame of questions, which included the social and cultural cooperation. In particular, agreements were reached on the implementation of joint programmes of teaching and training the disabled, on having the year of Mozart in 2006 within the framework of cultural relations in Armenia other problems. An agreement was reached that in future specialists will be sent from Armenia to study the Austrian experience of those spheres, which will be followed by joint programmes.

At the discussion with Herbert Mang, President of the Austrian Academy of Sciences the problems of establishing relations between the academies of sciences and scientists of two countries were in the center of attention. Other spheres of science were also mentioned, where there are bigger opportunities of cooperation. Mr. Mang presented in detail the priorities of development of the Austrian science and the institutes, which are included in the system of the academy of sciences. In the result of negotiations an agreement was reached on signing a cooperation agreement between the academies of sciences of Austria and Armenia, on cooperation of the institutes included in the systems, also on providing opportunities of training of the young Armenian scientists. RA NA President Artur Baghdasaryan handed the message of Fadey Sargsyan, RA NAS President and invitation to Armenia, Mr. Mang gladly accepted the invitation and promised to visit Armenia in September, meanwhile the agreement will be prepared.

At the meeting with Johann Sachs, Director of the division on Central and Eastern European, EU enlargement issues of the Ministry of Economics and Labour of Austria, co-chairman of the Armenian-Austrian economic mixed commission the representatives of the Commerce Chamber of Austria and the institute supporting the development of the economy attended. During the meeting the Armenian-Austrian trade-economic, scientific-cultural and educational, legal-treaty relations were discussed. During the two- hour meeting the representatives of all economic ministries of Austria noted the existing situation of the relations and possible developments.

Summing the meeting RA NA President Artur Baghdasaryan noted about the reached agreements: first – in the upcoming three months a delegation comprised of the Ministry of Industry and Economic Development will visit Austria, and the task of the delegation will be to study the situation thoroughly and make real programmes of cooperation of certain spheres. The concept of Armenia on the tourism development will be sent to the relevant ministry of Austria, and, according to that, the ways and types of tourism will be differentiated, where the Austrian experience can be useful for Armenia. Till September a development programme of small and medium entrepreneurship will be submitted to the Ministry of Economics and Labour of Austria, and within that framework a business forum will organized around certain directions of cooperation. In 2006 a week of economy, science, education and culture of Armenia will be organized in Austria. The issue of opening the center of the Asustrian specialized teaching in Armenia will be discussed. Austrian programmes of fostering small and medium entrepreneurship will be carried on. The enlargement of functioning the information center of Austria in Armenia will be discussed with the President of the Commerce Chamber of Austria. The delegation of the Armenian power engineers will visit Austria to study the Austrian, advanced experience of alternative power and invest it in Armenia. And with one more programme the Austrian experience of the agricultural sphere will be invested in Armenia. The Austrian high-ranking officials stated the desire of their country to expand the trade-economic and scientific-cultural relations with Armenia and incase of adequate response from Armenia they expressed readiness to implement those programmes. During the meeting the availability of legal-treaty relations and implementation of the functioning laws were also highlighted.

The meetings of the delegation will continue in Vienna on February 24.