Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan held a video talk with President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Odile Renaud-Basso.
Congratulating Odile Renaud-Basso on appointment as the EBRD President, Pashinyan stated: “Armenia highly values the partnership with the EBRD, the efficiency of which is evidenced by the successful projects being implemented in financial market, SME, energy, agriculture and other sectors. I would like to highlight the importance of constant dialogue between the Armenian government and the EBRD in the context of supporting the structural reforms in our country, improving and making competitive the investment climate”.
Pashinyan praised the fact that the investment portfolio volume of the Bank in Armenia comprised 160 million Euros in 2020, which is the biggest annual package during the whole partnership period. Pashinyan touched upon the challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the recent war, the socio-economic situation and presented the government’s actions aimed at overcoming all those problems. He noted that Armenia spares no effort for solving the humanitarian problems in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) caused by the Azerbaijani military aggression, but stated that the response of the international community, the financial organizations to the humanitarian crisis is also highly important. In this context he drew the attention of the EBRD President on the assistance opportunities.
The EBRD President said the Bank attaches importance to the reliable partnership with Armenia and is interested in deepening the cooperation in infrastructure, energy, private sector and financial structures’ development, funding new programs. Odile Renaud-Basso called the work with the Finance Ministry of Armenia as effective, which serves as a firm base for expanding the partnership with the country and successfully implementing joint initiatives.
The officials exchanged views on the current cooperation agenda and the further programs. Both attached importance to the cooperation aimed at increasing the competitiveness of the private sector. The EBRD President highlighted the initiatives aimed at promoting women’s economic activeness. The Prime Minister said the government encourages women’s active engagement on different areas.
Issues relating to infrastructure programs, including the construction of North-South road corridor were discussed at the meeting. Pashinyan touched upon the unblocking of regional communication routes, stating that the re-opening of communication infrastructure can be prospective for joint programs.
The Prime Minister reaffirmed Armenia’s support to the EBRD’s five-year strategy, the priorities of which, he said, are in accordance with that of the government. He added that Armenia will be happy to host the 2024 EBRD annual meeting, the decision over which has already been made.
