Thursday, January 17 2019 14:53

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.