Agreement reached between California and Armenia

[MosJan]

Agreement reached between California and Armenia:

 

By Karen S. Kim

GLENDALE -- A long-denied dream of two local politicians will take a giant step toward realization when Gov. Gray Davis signs an agreement with the government of Armenia for the establishment of a state trade office in the capital of the former Soviet country.

 

"It gets things started," said state Sen. Jack Scott (D-Glendale). "The [Memorandum of Understanding] is simply a statement of intent. It says, in effect, that we intend to increase trade between California and Armenia."

 

Scott's bill, SB 179, to establish a trade office in Yerevan is pending before the Legislature. Two previous attempts to establish such an office by Scott's predecessor, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Glendale), failed. But Scott and Alex Sardar, executive director of the Glendale-based Armenian National Committee of America Western Region, agreed that establishing the memorandum was a necessary hurdle to the end goal of creating a trade office.

 

"From the beginning, we knew that the [memorandum] was not the end goal," Sardar said. "Opening a trade office is the end goal. We hope that after tomorrow, everyone involved won't rest on their laurels but continue working toward that."

 

Sardar said that furthering trade relations between California and Armenia would mutually benefit both parties.

 

"A trade office in Yerevan could serve as a regional gateway into that part of the world for California but also for other states," Sardar said.

 

In addition, increased importing and exporting would help Armenia's economy, which has been struggling since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

 

Davis is expected to sign the agreement at 1 p.m. today at the Hilton Glendale, 100 W. Glenoaks Blvd. The memorandum agrees to strengthen economic, educational and political ties between California and Armenia.

 

"The governor's goal is to encourage mutual business development and investment opportunities between Armenia and California," said Byron Tucker, deputy press secretary for Davis. "This would be a historic agreement that would benefit both California and Armenia in terms of job creation and economic growth."

 

In 2000, California exported products valuing about $11 million to Armenia, while in the first half of 2001, California has already exported about $8 million worth of merchandise, Tucker said.

 

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