Armenia-Turkey Investor Day was held in Yerevan today. The participants learnt about the best practices of creating investment networks, the mechanics of angel investing, as well as about favorable legal conditions in Europe and the U.S.
The meeting was initiated by the Public Journalism Club (PJC) and the Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV), in cooperation with Angel Labs, the world’s first investor accelerator based in Silicon Valley, conducted the first-ever Armenia-Turkey Investor Day.
The initiative is unique in a sense that it will promote the concept of institutionalization of Angel Investors network in Armenia, support the entrepreneurial ecosystem, connect entrepreneurs with Angel Investors, and encourage the establishment of lasting and profitable relationships between investors and entrepreneurs.
Director of the Angel Labs Tugce Ergul is a Turkish citizen, but lives in San Francisco. On her first visit to Armenia, Ergul said: “My grandmother was Armenian and the participation in this meeting is very pleasant and important to me. I’m not surprised by this warmth, as I have grown up next to Armenians. We’ve initiated an exceptional event and we hope to promote the Armenian-Turkish cooperation,” she told reporters.
She’s confident that such meetings are the only way to shape relations between Armenia and Turkey. According to her, the sector that has been chosen for possible cooperation – information technologies and startups – is extremely flexible and able to change the world.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to Armenia Jean-Francois Charpentier described the meeting as “exceptional.” He said his country welcomes any initiative aimed at establishment of Armenian-Turkish economic ties.
Charpentier said “this is a unique opportunity aimed at supporting the creation of entrepreneurial systems, establish links between Armenian and Turkish investors focusing on trade-economic relations,” the Ambassador said.
Founding Director of the Regional Studies Center Richard Giragosian also believes economic cooperation can help political relations.
“It is the dynamic development of the Armenian IT sector that attracts interest from not only Germany and the United States, but also Turkey. This is a new opportunity, where we are in a stronger position that many countries in terms of attracting new investments and venture capital to the IT sector,” he said.
“The IT sector of Armenia is a sector of economic growth and potential that crosses closed borders, that doesn’t need roads, rail or transport. The IT is able to surmount closed borders,” Giragosian said.