Naira Badalyan. The Business Armenia Foundation (formerly the Development Fund of Armenia) and the Ministry of Economy and Industrial Infrastructures of the Republic of Artsakh signed a Memorandum of Cooperation. The parties also discussed the organizational issues of the business forum scheduled for autumn 2018.

As reported by the Fund's press service, the State Minister of Artsakh Republic Grigory Martirosyan received a delegation led by the Executive Director of the Business Armenia Fund, Armen Avag Avagyan. Martirosyan expressed satisfaction with the support provided by the Fund in the export of Artsakh companies' products. He attached importance to the further deepening of cooperation between the business circles of the Republic and the Fund. The State Minister said that in Artsakh programs have been launched to stimulate the increase in the production of pomegranate in Artsakh. In this context, he invited the audience to find new markets for the sale of products.

Armen Avag Avagyan presented Grigory Martirosyan with the existing tools in the arsenal of the Fund. At the same time, as Avagyan noted, the assistance toolkit is also available for Artsakh companies.

The Business Armenia team also met with the Minister of Economy and Industrial Infrastructures of the Republic of Artsakh Levon Grigoryan. According to the head of the Foundation, the organization he heads assists companies from Artsakh for their participation in international exhibitions, which has given certain results for these enterprises. "Unfortunately, we have not yet engaged in the investment field of Artsakh, but we are ready to use all the tools available in the Fund for assistance," Avagyan said. In this context, the importance of the signed document on cooperation between Business Armenia and the Ministry of Economy and Industrial Infrastructures of the Artsakh Republic was noted.

The Armenian Development Fund (DFA) was established in 2015. In addition to its main mission to promote the economic growth of the country, the Fund carries out its activities with the aim of increasing the international rating, recognition and competitiveness of Armenia. By decision of the Board of Trustees, the Development Fund of Armenia was renamed the Business Armenia Foundation. The organization will continue to focus its efforts on attracting foreign investment while promoting exports, improving the business environment, implementing regional development projects and developing the tourism sector. The Business Armenia Foundation will implement projects that envisage cooperation between state bodies and entrepreneurs.