The Minister of Economy Tigran Khachatryan received Ambassador Andrea Wiktorin, head of the European Union (EU) Delegation to Armenia.
The Minister noted in his speech: "Cooperation with the EU is very important, given that the programs implemented with the Ministry of Economy are one of the largest and most influential programs in the Government's international assistance portfolio, which [the programs] include joint efforts in our priority policy directions and are aimed at the improvement of the country's business and investment climate."
The Minister of Economy reaffirmed the role of innovations in having a competitive economy and emphasized that, in this context, the government and the implemented policy should be competitive and effective.
Ambassador Andrea Wiktorin in her turn noted that she was very happy to meet with Khachatryan, and discuss the possibilities of deepening economic relations with Armenia. She said they are already cooperating within different programs, but it is very important to deepen and strengthen our further cooperation, and they are ready to support Armenia in its priority areas.
The ambassador noted that any initiative is effective only when there is continuity and highlighted the consistent steps that the government must take to attract investment and develop the business environment. According to him, it is very important to strengthen the cooperation of the ministries and make joint efforts to increase the effectiveness of the programs.
The Minister attached importance to the role of experienced and professional specialists in ensuring progress in the future work and highly appreciated the agreement with the EU on consulting assistance.
Highlighting the Armenia-EU cooperation in different directions, Tigran Khachatryan presented to the guests the importance of current programs and key economic priorities on the agenda of upcoming investment and business conferences, SME development, tourism assistance opportunities, and a number of other issues.
The ambassador noted that SME development is particularly important in terms of decentralization and territorial development, which can also become an important condition for reducing unemployment. She touched upon the importance of professional education, opportunities for creative business in Armenia, organic food production, development of agriculture, Armenia's great potential in the field of tourism, and highlighted the development of infrastructures, especially in the regions.
