Author: Yeghisabet Vorskanian

All four SU-30SM jets at the base: EU, NATO defence attachés visit airbase in Armenia

Armenia as a new destination for foreign investments: Deputy PM’s interview to Investment Monitor

 09:50, 1 April, 2022

YEREVAN, APRIL 1, ARMENPRESS. The primary goal of Armenia’s economic policy is to build a knowledge-based, export-oriented and inclusive economy with an equally enabling environment for local and foreign companies, Deputy Prime Minister Hambardzum Matevosyan said in an interview to Investment Monitor, talking about the country's tech prowess and tourism ambitions.

“The role the technology sector plays in diversifying and, more importantly, upgrading Armenia’s economy is significant. The ICT sector currently comprises about 4% of Armenia’s GDP and has been playing a decisive role in forming the nation’s middle class”, he said.

He stated that Armenia’s IT prowess has enabled the upgrading of the ICT industry into new sub-sectors, such as data science, artificial intelligence and engineering, among others, “which is key in the process of determining our niche in the global tech market”.

“Often referred to as the ‘Silicon Valley of the Caucasus‘, we hope to live up to this reputation. However, instead of playing catch-up in the global race, we are focusing on building a solid technological ecosystem, where new ventures can emerge and grow in a sustainable manner”, the deputy PM said. For this purpose, he noted, the Armenian government adopted a comprehensive approach towards the development of ICT sector – from preparing future talents to sustain Armenia’s labour effectiveness in the long term to offering incentives and targeted support to tech companies.

“Thanks to specialized university programs, government assistance and competitive labour costs, Yerevan has been able to attract multiple renowned IT companies that currently operate in Armenia. To name a few, Adobe, EPAM, Oracle, SADA, Siemens, Synopsis, Teamviewer and VMware have hired hundreds of local specialists for their global operations. Similarly, home-grown companies are also fuelling Armenia’s economic growth. Two Armenian-founded companies – Picsart and Service Titan – have already become unicorns and at least ten companies are in the process of achieving unicorn status in the next year or two, and this is something we are proud of”, he noted.

The deputy PM emphasized that Armenia has the necessary tools to succeed internationally and remain competitive in terms of attracting foreign investment. Talking about the human capital and skills, he reminded that Armenia is ranked 33rd among 137 countries in the quality of its mathematics and science education. “There are free educational programmes throughout Armenia that teach youngsters programming, graphic design, 3D modelling and much more”, he said.

Asked what actions are being taken to attract more investment into Armenia’s technology and tourism sectors, the deputy PM said Armenia utilizes the available business platforms to ramp up investments into these sectors. 

As for the COVID-19-related challenges, Hambardzum Matevosyan said “like most countries, Armenia [suffered badly from] the worldwide lockdown that unquestionably affected the tourism industry”. “The silver lining, however, was the revival of domestic tourism. Locals began visiting the places they had never been before. It was this dynamic that kept the industry afloat. Armenia also maintained a balanced approach regarding the travel restrictions and stayed relatively open to the world”, he said.

“According to official statistics, the number of tourists who visited Armenia in 2021 increased by more than 130% year on year, when compared with 2020. Although it will take time for international arrivals to return to pre-pandemic levels, most tourism professionals see better prospects for 2022. We expect large waves of tourists in the upcoming months as global restrictions become more lax. Additionally, works are ongoing to improve Armenia’s broader connectivity to make travel for tourists more seamless. We have noticed that travellers are looking for new and niche destinations these days. For many visitors, Armenia is a hidden gem with a wide range of activities”, deputy PM Matevosyan emphasized.

According to him, wine, culinary, luxury and extreme tourism have all picked up steam in recent years. Medical tourism is also gaining momentum due to the quality and affordability of Armenia’s healthcare sector, he added. “What visitors really appreciate about Armenia is the combination of rich cultural sites, diverse nature, hospitality, and safety. For the record, there are 25,000 monuments from different eras and three Unesco World Heritage Sites”, he said.

Asked what initiatives the government is undertaking to boost the investment flows, the deputy PM said: “The primary goal of Armenia’s economic policy is to build a knowledge-based, export-oriented and inclusive economy with an equally enabling environment for local and foreign companies. To this end, our everyday efforts are concentrated on making business regulations and the provision of public services more efficient, as well as providing foreign investors with necessary investment protection guarantees”.

 17:01,

YEREVAN, MARCH 25, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Finance Tigran Khachatryan received today Ambassador of France to Armenia Anne Louyot, the ministry said.

Minister Khachatryan thanked for the meeting and briefly presented the economic year of 2021, particularly the main fiscal and macroeconomic indicators.

Ambassador Anne Louyot highlighted the high level of the Armenian-French relations and reaffirmed the readiness of France to work jointly with Armenia, deepen and strengthen the bilateral ties.

The meeting also touched upon the current agenda of the Armenian-French relations.

The sides exchanged ideas also about the regional and international issues.

 13:17,

YEREVAN, MARCH 21, ARMENPRESS. Two servicemen are under arrest amid an ongoing investigation into the death of Private Albert Siroyan.

Both suspects are comrades of the victim serving in the same military base.

One of them is arrested on suspicion of violating the code of conduct by humiliations, hazing or other violent actions (Paragraph 1, Article 359). The other suspect is arrested on abuse of power, negligence committed by an officer on duty (Paragraph 1, Article 375).

Private Siroyan’s body was found on March 16 in his military position. The body had a gunshot wound which according to authorities was inflicted by Siroyan’s service rifle. Military investigators said they’ve launched a criminal case on Article 360.1 Paragraph 2/3 of the Criminal Code, indicating that they have reasons to believe that Private Siroyan’s death was suicide and  co-servicemen are suspected in unintentional abetment to suicide.

 15:09,

YEREVAN, MARCH 21, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Alen Simonyan delivered speech at the 144^th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union on March 21, the Parliament’s press service said.

The main direction of the agenda of the Assembly was the joint fight against climate change, which also requires a coordinated work of the parliaments of different countries.

In his remarks the Armenian Speaker of Parliament touched upon the side impact of the climate change on international processes. He told the partners that Armenia is taking active measures to contribute to the efforts of the international community directed against the climate change and man-made disasters.

The Speaker said Armenia adopted a national adaptation program to climate change action, which deepens the cooperation between sectoral initiatives. Presenting the Armenian peculiarities of climate matters, Alen Simonyan said within the frames of a number of international agreements the Armenian government approved the 2021-2030 investment program which will contribute to the reduction of the level of emissions and increase of green zones.

He said Armenia is promoting the policy of increasing renewable energy in energy production field, adding that respective legislative reforms are being implemented.

Given the global environmental challenges and their irreversible effect on climate, the Speaker of Parliament reaffirmed Armenia’s readiness to cooperate with parliaments of all member states and international organizations on this matter.

Summing up his speech, Alen Simonyan said parliaments are responsible for conventions and agreements, as well as for reforms of national legislation, and the Armenian Parliament is properly controlling these processes.

 10:37, 17 March, 2022

YEREVAN, MARCH 17, ARMENPRESS. Chair of the Delegation for relations with the South Caucasus, Member of the European Parliament, Marina Kaljurand, has expressed her concerns about the current humanitarian situation in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).

In a statement she called for the speedy resumption of negotiations on a lasting conflict settlement.

“On 8 March, the natural gas pipeline supplying Nagorno-Karabakh was damaged in an area under the control of Azerbaijan. Despite freezing temperatures, the pipeline has not been repaired yet and the entire population of Nagorno-Karabakh has been without gas supplies already for a week. It is urgent that unhindered access is provided to the damage site without delay in order to restore supplies as soon as possible”, she said in a statement.

“At the same time, reports of ceasefire violations have multiplied since early March, along the Nagorno-Karabakh line of contact, as well as on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, including reports of Azerbaijan’s high-calibre mortar shelling of several Nagorno-Karabakh villages. Over the past weeks, Azerbaijani army loudspeakers directed at these villages have been calling on the local Armenian population to leave the area, intensifying the psychological pressure and threatening the use of force.

I am seriously concerned by these developments and the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and strongly condemn any hostile actions aimed at civilians. I reiterate my call for the speedy resumption of negotiations on a lasting conflict settlement and recall the EU’s readiness to step up assistance to build confidence and address humanitarian and other issues”, the MEP said.