ArmInfo. Acting Minister of Economic Development and Investments of Armenia, Tigran Khachatryan, after the extraordinary parliamentary elections, notes the great interest oexpressed by potential investors in the Armenian economy. Tigran Khachatryan stated this on January 17 after the government meeting, answering the question of ArmInfo. However, he refrained from specifying specific companies and data on expected programs.
According to Khachatryan, today numerous investment programs are being discussed with potential investors. "They relate to the field of energy and industry, but we must understand that every discussion lasts for a long time before the idea is implemented," the acting Minister of Economic Development noted.
At the moment, without mentioning the names and investment programs to be implemented in the future, Tigran Khachatryan stated that the necessary information on them can be found in the forthcoming statements of the Cabinet. "Everything will be done to ensure that the volume of investments, both private and state ones in the structure of Armenia's GDP, following the results of the 5-year government's program, is 23-24% against the current 19%. At the same time, private investments in them should dominate ", Khachatryan said.
As the head of the Ministry of Economic Development, assured at the moment there is not a single investment program or idea that would meet obstacles from state structures in the way of its implementation. "This is the first and important signal that we send to a potential investor," said Khachatryan. Refraining to present specific data on investments for 2018, the acting minister only said that by the end of 2019, the index of investment in Armenia's GDP would exceed 20%.
Earlier, on November 23, during the press conference, the Acting RA Minister of Economic Development and Investments Tigran Khachatryan reported that the volume of investments in the Armenian economy continues to remain below the desired level. He noted that according to data for 2017, the volume of investments in the structure of Armenia's GDP was 17.5%. "It is necessary that in the long run this indicator reaches 25%, which can be achieved mainly due to the growth of investment in the private sector," he stressed. Then the acting minister found it difficult to announce the latest indicators (as of the end of September) on the implemented nvestments in the Armenian economy in 2018, referring to the lack of final indicators, which, he said, will be prepared a little later.
According to the RA Statistical Committee, in the first half of 2018 compared to the same period of 2017, the volume of total foreign investments in the real sector of Armenia's economy increased by 12.7% to $ 1.2 billion. At the same time, the volume of foreign direct investment (FDI) declined by 20.5% - up to $ 262.1 million. Moreover, in Q2 alone the volume of total foreign investment in the real sector of the Armenian economy sank by 17.2%, with FDI falling by 59.5%.
To recall, earlier Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan repeatedly stated that one of the most important arguments in favor of holding extraordinary parliamentary elections already in December 2018, and not in the spring of 2019, as suggested by the RPA, ARFD and PAP, is a factor of attracting investments , namely, the requirement of potential investors to stabilize the political field of the country. "I attach particular importance to holding early parliamentary elections in the context of attracting investment to the country. Until the elections take place, the economy, business, with bated breath, will wait for guarantees in the form of the fact that in the coming years, within 5 years a stable majority will work, working hand in hand with the government, "noted Pashinyan.