Interview with Artak Apitonian, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to Sweden and Finland

29 January, 2016

In an interview to NEWS.am, Artak Apitonian, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to Sweden and Finland, talks about Armenia-Sweden and Armenia-Finland bilateral relations, Armenian Embassy’s daily routine.

Mr. Ambassador, the Embassy of Armenia to Sweden started its operationonly two years ago. It would be interesting for readersto learn about the essential conditions of building bilateral relations from the perspective of a newly opened embassy. How would you describe the current relations between Armenia and Sweden?

The establishment and advancement of bilateral relations is generally along-term, consistent and multi-layered process. In order to have good relations,it’s important to have deep knowledge of all processes in the country,understand the underlying causes and possible consequences for the interests of Armenia. When it comes to the relations withSweden, I should note thatour bilateral tiesembraced extensive development alreadyduring the first years of Armenia’s independence. Swedish diplomats had an active role in the international efforts of settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,Sweden has been a long-time donor of development projects in Armenia up to 2010, and we had extensive bilateral exchanges.

As between persons, likewise between states, the good relations cannotendurefor a long time without corresponding efforts. In that sense, the establishment of our Embassy has without doubt raised our cooperation to a new level.

Currently, the relations between our countries have sustainable dynamics of development, with a high level of political dialogue characterized by mutual trust and confidence. Sweden is a key country of northern Europe,the development of close cooperation with which has a great importance also for Armenia’s relations with the EU. Sweden is one of the initiators of the EU Eastern Partnership program, isplaying an active rolewithin EU and UN, and is a member of the OSCE Minsk Group.Last but not least, every success in the “Capital of Scandinavia” always has a multiplicative effect.

I think I won’t be mistaken to say that such interest is mutual between our countries taking into account the establishment of the Swedish Embassy in Armenia duringthe same period of time. Is there anycooperation between the two embassies?

It’s obvious that Sweden also attaches great importance to strengthening the relations with our country. We have wonderful relations with my all Swedishcolleagues accredited to Yerevan and meet regularly either in Armenia or during their visits to Stockholm. Of course,the priorities of both embassies are different, however I’m glad that we have managed to establish similar approachesto the issues on the agenda, which allows us to solve problems more effectively.

Which are currently the main prioritiesofthe Embassy?

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries, the bilateral agenda in political, economic and humanitarian areas has gradually expanded, bringing new substance into our long-term ties.

Our bilateral political agenda is characterizedby an active dialogue and high-level visits and contacts. During the previous year three meetings were held between the President of Armenia and the Prime Minister of Swedenwithin various international forums. TheArmenian Minister of Health and the Ministerof Diaspora Affairs visited Sweden during this year. Swedish Minister for Higher Education and Research also visited Yerevan in May, combining participation to the 4th Political Forum of Bologna process with bilateral visit. These visits highlighted the potential projects of cooperation in corresponding sectors. This year the political dialogue will be even more intensive.

We have taken steps for the establishment ofdecentralized cooperation between the municipalities of our countries. The prospects of cooperation between the Uppsala county and the Lori region have been already markedduring the visit of the Governor of Uppsala Mr. Peter Egardt to Armenia in May 2015. Efforts are also being taken to establish such relations with other major cities and provinces of Sweden.

I am happy to point out that there are also very positive developments in the field of inter-parliamentary cooperation. This year the Swedish-Armenian Parliamentary Friendship Group was reestablishedat the Swedish Riksdag, which is chaired by the Deputy-Speaker of the parliament, our compatriot Mrs. Esabelle Dingizian. The Friendship Group is planning to visit Armenia in the nearest future.

In which manner has the bilateral politic dialogue affected the trade and economic relations?

When it comes to bilateral trade and economic relations, there is still plenty of work to do. Currently, there are number of famous Swedish IT, mining, and cosmetics companies established in Armenia. There is a growing interest within the Swedish companies to expand their presence in the Armenian market. With that understanding, in the past few years almost all high-level visits were accompanied by arrangement of meetings with the Swedish companies interested in the Armenian market. It is not less important to have the presence of Armenian products in the Swedish market. That is why the Embassy’s priorities in the field of economic relations will be focused on the arrangement of various business-forums during this year. We are also working on the formation of an appropriate legal framework.

It’s gratifying that the Swedish government has resumed its assistance to reform projects in Armenia. In that framework projects will be implemented in the spheres of environmental protection and sustainable development, energy security and promotion of women entrepreneurship. Already this year, through the channels of the Eastern Europe Energy Efficiency and Environmental Partnership Foundation (E5P), where Sweden is the biggest donor, around 1.9 million Euros were granted for the construction of energy-efficient and secure outdoor lightning network in Yerevan.

There are numerous evidences confirming that our people had contacts with each other already in early middle ages. In the 16-17th centuries, the trade route connecting Sweden to the Middle East due to the activity of Armenian merchants was usually called “The Armenian Route”. There have been many diplomats and scientists of Armenian descent throughout the Swedish history. This kind of historical ties bear valuable material for the Embassy’s activities in the field of culture. What projects are being implemented in that field?

I agree that the historical ties between the Armenians and the Swedes have many interesting episodes with an extensive research material. This is a subject that we have begun to investigate with the joint efforts of both Swedish and Armenian researchers. Armenians played a significant role in the establishment and strengthening of ties between Sweden and the Middle Eastern countries. In the late 17th century, the Armenian merchants from New Julfa played an important role in the establishment of diplomatic and commercial relations between Sweden and Persia. The Armenian dragomans and diplomats made a significant contribution to the development of relations between Sweden and the Ottoman Empire. There we have family Mouradgead’Ohssonwhich was granted Swedish noble title for the merits before the Kingdom. Their coat of arms is still kept in Stockholm House of Nobility occupying its rightful place among 600 Swedish noble families. One of the most valuable European studies of the Ottoman Empire was carried out by Ignatius Mouradgead’Ohsson. Unfortunately, his name is undeservedly forgotten within us.

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