SERGE SARGSIAN: ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT IS DETERMINED TOCONTINUE REFORMS WITH NEW EFFORTS

Noyan Tapan
Jun 27 2007

YEREVAN, JUNE 27, NOYAN TAPAN. Receiving the World Bank Yerevan
Office Director, Aristomene Varudakis, on June 26, the Armenian prime
minister ,Serge Sargsian, expressed his gratitude to the World Bank
for its assistance that has helped Armenia with the development and
solution of problems since the country’s independence. According to
him, the Armenian government expects this cooperation to continue and
expand. S. Sargsian underlined that the government is determined
to continue reforms, which are stipulated in the RA National
Assembly-approved program of governmental activities for the next
five years.

A. Varudakis, in his turn, noted that it is the WB’s mission to assist
with the implementation of the government’s plan. Presenting in detail
the World Bank’s activities in Armenia and the programs related to
almost all sectors of the economy (both implemented and current),
the WB Yerevan Office director said that the current stage of the
country assistance strategy will finish in 2008, after which the
directions of cooperation in the next four years will be discussed
with the Armenian government. In the words of A. Varudakis, these
directions will be in line with the priorities of the governmental
program for the next five years.

The WB representative said that after the completion of the
two main tasks of the current 2004-2008 program, the program
on the improvement of traffic in Yerevan and the program on the
modernization of the Armenian Railway, the World Bank envisages
to continue cooperation in the social sector, particularly through
assistance to education and health care, improvement of the business
environment encouraging the economic growth, assistance with the
implementation of second-generation reforms, and the development of
the private sector and the capital market.

According to A. Varudakis, the World Bank is prepared to discuss the
indicated directions with the Armenian government and, if needs be,
to amend them. He said that in developing its programs, the World
Bank will take into account the programs of other donors operating
in Armenia.

S. Sargsian noted with satisfaction that the indicated directions
are among the priorities of the program on the Armenian government’s
activities. He expressed a hope that during the implementation of the
next 4-year WB program, the World Bank will again register an efficient
implementation of programs in cooperation with the Armenian government.