On September 8, Vahan Kerobyan received Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Republic of Armenia John Gallagher.
Welcoming the Ambassador, the Minister of Economy stressed the expansion of economic relations between the two countries, adding that he sees great potential for increasing trade volumes.
During the meeting, the Minister presented the economic part of Armenia’s Government program with its priorities. Noting that in the new program the Government pays special attention to the digitalization of the economy, modernization, development of work skills, Kerobyan added that they are aimed at increasing efficiency and productivity in all branches of the economy.
Ambassador Gallagher thanked the Minister for the reception and noted that he highly appreciated the reforms implemented by the Armenian Government. He expressed the readiness of the British Government to assist the Armenian Government in the reform process.
During the meeting, the Minister presented the economic part of Armenia’s Government program with its priorities. Noting that in the new program the Government pays special attention to the digitalization of the economy, modernization, development of work skills, Kerobyan added that they are aimed at increasing efficiency and productivity in all branches of the economy.
Ambassador Gallagher thanked the Minister for the reception and noted that he highly appreciated the reforms implemented by the Armenian Government. He expressed the readiness of the British Government to assist the Armenian Government in the reform process.
During the conversation, Kerobyan stressed the need to develop a knowledge-based economy and said that the Government plans to invest in organizing research work. He stressed the importance of involving the private sector in funding research. The Minister also expressed confidence that the rich experience of Great Britain, the provision of high-quality consulting services in the mentioned field can contribute to the introduction and establishment of this system in Armenia.
The Minister of Economy informed the Ambassador that three industrial parks are planned to be launched in Armenia, which may be of interest to British companies, and offered to consider the possibilities of their activities here. Kerobyan singled out several spheres where he sees great potential for cooperation with Great Britain․ These are the production of solar panels, metallurgy, chemical industry and pharmaceuticals.
Ambassador Gallagher expressed readiness to consider the possibilities of supporting the establishment of a knowledge-based economy in Armenia, as well as providing the necessary advice on increasing productivity in the economy and a number of other important activities.
The interlocutors discussed the possibilities of cooperation in the field of intellectual property, in particular, in the field of intellectual property protection. Gallagher said that support for reforms in this area is high on their agenda, as it will help improve the business and investment environment in Armenia. He added that their Government is interested in improving the investment and business environment in Armenia so that British companies can invest in the region and export more.
Kerobyan stressed that the Armenian Government pays great attention to the protection of intellectual property, informed the ambassador that Armenia’s Law on Patents came into force on July 1 of this year, and that startups had the opportunity to patent computer programs in Armenia. Thanks to Armenia, it has become the second country in the world to apply for such a license.
