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On September 12, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan met in Dilijan with the World Bank Vice President for Europe and Central Asia Region Philippe Le Houérou, who has arrived in Armenia to participate in “Armenia After the Crisis: Challenges and Opportunities” international conference.

The parties discussed a wide range of issues pertaining to the future programs of cooperation between Armenia and the World Bank, President’s press office reported.

The President of Armenia hailed cooperation between Armenia and the WB and stressed that non-existence of such cooperation would have meant lost opportunities for Armenia. “Implementation of programs in Armenia is one side of the issue; the other side is the advanced knowledge that you bring along and for us it’s a very significant factor. People should be able to observe certain progress, on the other hand – the future should be tangible, too. Otherwise, even the greatest improvements of today will not be satisfying,” the President of Armenia noted.

President Sargsyan also said that the accomplishments of the participants of the conference were commendable from that very viewpoint, since the deliberations not only touched the current problems but also offered concrete ways and means to overcome them.

The Vice President of the World Bank said that despite his busy schedule he had decided to participate in this conference because he feels responsible for Armenia. According to Philippe Le Houérou, at his previous position with the WB, he often used the Bank’s efficient cooperation with Armenia as a success story in his negotiations with the donors regarding the financing the WB’s programs.

“I have been on this position for almost a year. I reviewed the portfolio of our programs in the region and, in my opinion, in terms of quality and implementation level the Armenian portfolio is the best. I am particularly impressed because whatever I read and studied regarding the Armenian programs – I mean statistics, etc – I actually saw in real life,” underscored the Vice President of the World Bank.

President Sargsyan and Vice President for Europe and Central Asia Region Philippe Le Houérou expressed confidence that experience acquired through the years of Armenia-WB efficient cooperation would provide opportunities to implement even more extensive programs.