ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Feb 18 2008

Armenia’s union of manufacturers & businessmen, union of czech &
moravian corporations sign cooperation agreement

YEREVAN, February 18. /ARKA/. The Union of Manufacturers and
Businessmen of Armenia (UMBA) and the Union of Czech and Moravian
Corporations have signed a cooperation agreement. `This document will
give a start to cooperation between our organizations and will focus
on the interchange of business ideas,’ said UMBA Chairman Arsen
Ghazarian during the Bridge 2008 economic forum in Tsakhkadzor.

According to him, the purpose of the agreement is to support
Armenian-Czech economic development. Ghazarian pointed out that UMBA
has signed about 80 cooperation agreements with France, Greece,
Romania, Germany, Belgium, Argentine and other countries.

According to Jan Wiesner, chairman of the Union of Czech and Moravian
Corporations, the organization includes textile and consumer goods
manufacturers, as well as companies producing construction materials,
cars agricultural instruments, and semi-finished goods. He stated
that Armenia is the union’s first partner-country in the region.

Armenian-Czech trade turnover totaled $18.3mln in 2007 against
$8.96mln in 2006, the RA National Statistical Service (NSS) reports.

The fifth international economic forum Bridge 2008 opened in
Tsakhkadzor on February 15. The organizers of the event are UMBA and
the MASTER Center for International Integration Assistance. The forum
is officially sponsored by the RA Ministry of Trade and Economic
Development, RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Central Bank of Armenia
and the Armenian Development Agency.

About 300 entrepreneurs from Armenia, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Czech
Republic, Bulgaria, Austria and Iran participate in the forum. -0–