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YEREVAN, AUGUST 15, ARMENPRESS. The office of Enterprise Armenia in Spain will use all opportunities to promote and facilitate foreign investment in Armenia and position Enterprise Armenia as a one-stop shop for investors, Enterprise Armenia Representative in Spain Levon Grigorian said in an interview with ARMENPRESS.
Mr. Grigorián, You have been appointed the representative of Enterprise Armenia in Spain, it is planned to open an office in Spain, when will it officially start its activities?
It has been an honour to be appointed as representative of Enterprise Armenia in Spain. Since the appointment in end-June, the entire Enterprise Armenia team in Spain is already assisting Spanish companies interested in the Armenian market.
The office’s opening to the public will be on September 1st, which will be seated in the iconic building of “Casa Comalat” -Avenida Diagonal 442, 3-2, 08037 in Barcelona-. So, from September, we welcome and await with open arms the visit of any foreign enterprise or entrepreneur interested in the Armenian market or companies willing to expand their activities abroad.
How do you imagine the office’s activities to attract investments from Spain to Armenia? How are you going to promote that investment, how are you going to help investors?
Economic diplomacy is becoming increasingly important in foreign policy and a political priority for the Armenian Government. Strengthening the internationalisation of Armenian companies and attracting productive foreign investment to the country will increase the competitiveness of the Armenian economy and build up our diplomatic relations with third countries.
The office in Spain will have two vectors of work: to promote and facilitate foreign investment in Armenia and position Enterprise Armenia as a one-stop shop for investors.
As a representative office of a national authority for investment promotion in Armenia, we will focus on raising awareness in Spain of Armenia’s investment and business opportunities and contributing to Armenia’s positioning on the investment map for Latin-American and Spanish companies.
We will play a pivotal role in developing institutional cooperation between the Spanish and Armenian authorities, partner organisations, BSOs, business circles and international companies. For such purposes, from September, we will organise monthly business events to attract new investments, promote exports, expand the business network in Spain, and introducing Armenia’s investment climate and the advantages of doing business in Armenia. In addition, at least once per year, we will organise a business trip for the Spanish companies interested in Armenia.
Once the investors are interested in the Armenian market, we will consult them on Armenia’s investment legislation, regulations, government incentives, and potential investment partners.
In addition, the Enterprise Armenian team provides aftercare services to existing foreign investors in Armenia.
To invest in Armenia, which sector might be of particular interest to Spanish businessmen? What potential do you see in Armenia?
The main sectors of interest to the Spanish companies are renewable energies, construction, IT, science, bio-agriculture, textile, tourism and hospitality, luxury goods, pharmaceutical, and winemaking.
Armenia has a unique geostrategic position that can serve as a bridge between east and west, EEU and EU. Therefore, we need to work towards such a goal to show that Armenia can be a natural hub for regional international companies, as it has access to large export markets under preferential conditions.
In addition, Armenia has skilled, well-educated, and cost-efficient talent and low business costs, which are difficult to find in Europe. Besides, we must highlight the comprehensive fiscal and financial incentives system, macroeconomic stability, reliable financial sector, and open-door policy towards foreign investors.
One of the organisation’s goals is to help Armenian exporters enter new markets. In this regard, what opportunity do You see in Spain, how could you help Armenian exporters position Armenian products in the Spanish market?
Although the promotion of export and import is beyond the scope of Enterprise Armenia, we aim to foster the presence of Armenian businesses abroad.
Therefore, we will organise business delegations to accompany them on visits to Spain and help them through our business partners to organise institutional capacity building, networking, or business-to-business events.
Such services will be provided not only to large companies but also to medium-sized and small companies to strengthen their presence abroad.
The main opportunities of the Armenian companies are related to the IT sector and the export of bio-agricultural, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic products and raw materials to Spain. However, we will help analyse Armenian companies, case by case, the business opportunities in Spain.
And finally, what else would You like to say about the office and Your work?
As a diasporan Armenian, I realised the importance of engaging more actively to strengthen the country’s economy.
In this regard, I hope that my knowledge of the political, economic, and commercial situation in Spain will play a vital role in developing the country’s economy through the investment of foreign companies and the internationalisation of Armenian companies.
As an international business lawyer, I finished an LLM in International Legal Studies at Georgetown Law in Washington, D.C. Since 2012, I have worked in one of the best law firms in the Iberian market in cities such as New York, London, Sao Paulo, Barcelona, and Madrid. Nowadays, I am the managing partner of GK Group Legal, an international law firm and consulting company based in Barcelona, which will open its Erevan offices soon. Therefore, I am strongly decided to apply all the skills acquired throughout my career to the economic growth of Armenia.