ArmInfo. The establishment of industrial integration clusters within the countries of European Asian Ecionomic Union should become the first priority in EDB activities, Yaroslav Lissovolik, the EDB Chief Economist told ArmInfo correspondent on the sidelines of the XI International Conference on Eurasian Economic Integration.
He mentioned, that nowadays the countries of the region show an adaptation to the strict industrial conditions, related to the lower oil prices. "We see positive flows in the biggest countries of our region - in Russia and Kazakhstan, and we expect that next year the EAEU member countries will enter the positive zone and will show a pretty sustainable growth.
He accentuated that for over than 10-year period of activities EDB has been implementing multiple projects in the field of infrastructure, transportation corridors for the intensification of trade and investment flows, and now looks for the opportunities t be allied with largest Development Banks in the world for co-financing of new large projects, particularly in the aspect of improvement of the partner countries exporting potential.
However, according to Lissovolik' position, the time came to pay a serious attention to the interregional cooperation, development of industrial and innovative clusters, development of fast growth regions. Such projects could become a newer powerful factors of the Eurasian integration. "As a bank, we look at this issue more and more attentively, we initiated agreements with regional authorities.
In Armenia and in a number of other countries we should use all the possibilities to improve the investment climate with a purpose to draw investment projects in more targeted manner and to precisely defined regions," the expert accentuated. He mentioned that the clusters idea is not developed enough yet, but it should get it.
Now we have an idea, and we should develop an appropriate concept, and on the basis of that to get to the implementation of certain projects. For instance, we discuss the issue of regional financing centers development, but this is a quite different aspect, it is more important to pay attention to the clusters development in real sector, in real economy, in innovations. "Working in Eurasian environment I see a huge resources of human potential in Russia, in Armenia and in other countries, which creates good starting conditions for using the tool of industrial innovative clusters," the Chief Economist of EDB said.
To note, Dmitri Pankin, the EDB Board Chairman, during his speech at the conference expressed a regret due to the small number of investment projects, particularly in the actual sector of economy. He accentuated that Development banks in their essence should derive of largest commercial banks exactly by their ability to search and to develop such projects and work in the fields being under risks, where commercial banks will not dare to intervene.
