YEREVAN. – Currently, a number of investment programs are under discussion; that is, starting from the level of an idea, ending with certain steps already. Deputy minister of economy of Armenia, Avag Avanesyan, told this to reporters Monday, when asked whether investment programs have been implemented in Armenia after the recent Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) war.

"The [Ministry of Economy] learns about investment programs only when there is a matter of having some contact with the state; that is, it is probable that there are investment programs that operate entirely in the private sector, and the involvement of the state will not benefit, and the Ministry is not informed about that," Avanesyan said.

The deputy minister noted that there is a problem with the investment field in the whole region. "Yes, there has been a military conflict, a war that creates risks for any new investment program. Now our policy should be aimed at reducing those risks; it is being discussed now, starting with the use of a mechanism; that is, from direct support for investment projects that we have not yet implemented, to the provision of infrastructure. There was a war, and just as the investment field in our country has deteriorated, so has in Azerbaijan, too.

(…) the models show that we [Armenia] can grow in the long run; that is, the factors that had made us interesting to investors lead to it that we are interesting; all independent international studies say that this is so," Avag Avanesyan added.