Certain progress is obvious in improvement of the business environment, Armenian Economy Minister says

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS: Armenian Economy Minister Nerses Yeritsyan with the request of Armenpress news agency referred to the steps implemented this year toward improvement of business environment in Armenia.

- Mr. Yeritsyan, have you succeeded to carry out initially planned events directed toward the improvement of business environment in Armenia during the running year?

- A certain progress is obvious and may be witnessed by the registered indexes, but I cannot say that all the issues have been solved. Of course, the crisis was an impeding circumstance for the speeded-up implementation of reforms as a big attention is being paid to ensuring the budget and keeping the social expenses on a high level. This year there was also an issue on involving international resources. There is a certain progress, there are positive perceptions, and next year a greater progress will be ensured in respect of improvement of business environment.

- Which were the challenges of the sphere in the passing year in conditions of global financial-economic crisis?

- The spheres of services and high technology and those which had space in the outside market and managed to preserve it mainly succeeded to overcome the crisis. Other accentuation must be made on diversification of the economy and promotion of export. The Armenian companies must be able to increase their export potential. It has always been in the program of the government but previously used few tools must now be improved. It is necessary to increase the availability of the European and other more developed markets and eliminate the complexes of creation, registration of companies and relating with the state.

- If in the first case we may mention the “GSP+” system, which will be the way of reaching the second important goal?

- For the solution of the first issue even your mentioned tool is not enough, we must be able to eliminate the technical obstacles, change the quality system so that the product we produced be recognized by the markets of developed countries. And for the solution of the second issue a concrete action plan exists and all the investments will be made for reaching it.

- What concrete steps will be undertaken to promote export? Will it be possible to balance the import and export?

- As of the moment a great work is being carried out, tools are being designed so that we will be able to direct the small and medium-sized entrepreneurship support programs toward export. The issue is not brining to balance, as the consumption will increase more on the account of variety of products, economic growth, but the increase of the tempo of export. The European market will be of interest for the Armenian products. We have the former USSR market, the next step is achieving the European one.-0-/45/