Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan todau attended the My Step for Aragatsotn Marz investment forum.
Addressing the forum, the Prime Minister spoke about the country’s current economic situation and stressed that this year is the first full economic year where his government is politically responsible for the economic situation. .
“This year, we will probably have economic growth of plus or minus 7%, which is an important and fairly high indicator for the EAEU and for the European area, in general. Of course, it is understandable that this growth is not an indicator of which we should feel very happy. This year’s economic indicators show that our economic ambitions are real and can become reality. The success of the new issue of Eurobonds, which is of great importance for Armenia’s international economic image, bears witness to this. It is important to note that we had a 3% reduction in the availability of funds compared to 2015, which means that the percentages have improved for our country,” he said.
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According to the Prime Minister, USD 500 million-worth of Eurobonds have been issued, but their actual demand is USD 2 billion. The Head of Government noted that in terms of strategic planning, it is important to create transformation projects in Armenia, because there is an opportunity to finance them today.
“Armenia will finish this year in terms of international reserves with a historic record. On December 31, we will have the highest rate of international reserves in the history of the Third Republic, which reflects the stability of our country’s financial system. This year, according to data for the three quarters, the Central Bank made purchases worth USD 433 million. In other words, many foreign exchange resources have emerged, mainly related to the growth of tourism, which opens great prospects for Armenian citizens,” the Prime Minister said, adding that according to the international economic community’s estimates, owing to the issuance of Eurobonds, Armenia’s risks have been halved, which makes the economic environment more favorable.
“I do not want to say that as a success, because we see this as an opportunity and its implementation is a partnership between the government and small and medium-sized businesses.
Today, there is every opportunity for this partnership. There is no separation between government supporters and business people. We consider all entrepreneurs to be our main ally and our most important task is to ensure that all businessmen in the Republic of Armenia feel protected. And that should be the case, because we have no case of redistribution of property during this one-and-a-half year period,” he noted.
According to the Head of Government, it is also an individual effort that should contribute to an economic revolution.
“To overcome poverty, you have to encourage people to start their own business and get up. The charitable model applied in Armenia has degraded our economic relations. In many cases, he has not helped, but has harmed the human being,” Nikol Pashinyan said, adding that the current policy of the government is intended to convey this message to all citizens.
“Every citizen of the Republic of Armenia must realize that he or she must work hard to make a living and that is the meaning of the revolution. There have been dozens of cases in the past where people imported onions, for example, and were denied market access. There is no such problem in our country today,” the Premier pointed out.
Nikol Pashinyan once again stated that the business community is the government’s number one ally in the economic revolution, since they can invest their intelligence, talent, creative abilities and create added value. And for those who do not, the government should support programs, improve education.
“I wish every success to the participants of this forum. I hope that in this creative environment we will hear new creative ideas, new ideas that will help us continue on the path. The economic revolution has begun in the Republic of Armenia, and it first comes to people’s minds. The biggest manifesto of the economic revolution for me is the Hero of Our Times award, which showed the ideology of the revolution,” Nikol Pashinyan said, noting that the revolution did not create these people, but these people created the revolution, which is the most important.
“Today, the number one economic factor is talent, intelligence, honesty and a sense of purpose, because if a writer creates a very good and talented novel, the same goes for any company that creates a talented product, a brand that changes people, reality, fatherland to the best. And so, let us first change ourselves, then our environment, and change our homeland, which should become the land of universal dreams for all of us. Armenia should not be a country of dream for any political team. Instead, we should set our dreams in a big pot in order to forge a national dream, because the economic revolution is called to implement our national aspirations. That is why we must have a powerful state that creates, exports and can bear the burden of a larger pan-Armenia dream,” Prime Minister Pashinyan said.
The Forum presents the region’s business environment, its development prospects, its priority areas and its potential in various fields. Local and foreign investors attend the forum.
The event aims to support investment projects in the region through discussions and exchange of experiences, to establish new business contacts, to identify business sector issues and to develop mechanisms to solve them.
INFORMATION AND PUBLIC RELATIONS DEPARTMENT OF THE OFFICE OF THE PRIME-MINISTER OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
