ArmInfo. A meeting with the newly appointed regional representative of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Mehdi Raissi was held at the Ministry of Economy of Armenia.
As reported by the press service of the Ministry of Economy, during the meeting the parties discussed the prospects of bilateral cooperation and directions of economic development of Armenia.
Referring to the government's program, the IMF representative inquired about the priorities outlined in the document. Speaking about the economic component of this program, the Minister of Economy of Armenia Vahan Kerobyan noted that the latter is aimed at overcoming the challenges in the region that the country is facing today. He also said that according to the new program, the Ministry intends to form an economy based on investments.
Kerobyan also introduced the planned structural changes in the economy to the interlocutor, informing him of his intention to carry out reforms in land and water legislation, as well as in the sphere of real estate.
The minister noted that great attention will be paid to increasing productivity, which implies steps towards modernization and digital transformation.
Vahan Kerobyan also outlined areas in need of development, in particular metallurgy, chemical industry, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, light industry. He stressed the need to introduce a health insurance system and increase the share of SMEs in GDP to 55%.
According to the source, issues related to the database of public investment programs in Armenia were also discussed. In particular, Kerobyan said that work is underway in this direction, expressing hope that the system will be introduced by the end of the year.
To recall, according to the May forecast, the IMF expects Armenia's GDP growth in 2021 at the level of 1% to $ 12.3 billion (against the actual 7.6% decline in 2020 to $ 12.3 billion), with an acceleration in 2022 to 3.5% reaching $ 13 billion.
