Economy

In 2013, upon the initiative of Hilda Tchoboian, the Regional Councilor and current Vice-President of France Armenia International Network, some French-Armenian friends came up with the idea of founding a purely economic association which would bring together the leaders of the Rhône-Alpes region’s economic life, the second region of France in terms of economic dynamism. This new unique project attracted the attention of business leaders, and consequently, quickly associated themselves with the network.

Twenty-five years ago, on January 29th 1992, the Republic of Armenia, which had recently become an independent nation, was admitted to the United Nations by the UN General Assembly. Several months later, in September 1992, an agreement was signed between the Government of Armenia and the UN, on the establishment of a UN office in Armenia.

From designing public services with citizens to holding pop-up innovation labs in government ministries and building funding models based on the private sector, UNDP in Armenia is revolutionizing the way that development organizations contribute to public good.

Throughout history, the Caucasus has continually acted as an arena of conflicting political interests and wars. Assyrians, Medes, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Mongols, Turks, and Russians conquered this part of the world during different periods. It is not much better today – conflicts involving Artsakh, Abkhazia and South Ossetia still remain unresolved and the level of animosity between people is only increasing. It seems like nothing can unite Armenians, Azerbaijanis and Georgians and other ethnic groups of the region, with their different languages, religions, customs, etc.

Whilst establishing the Agribusiness Teaching Center at the Armenian National Agrarian University back in 2000, the founders were confident that the project result will be a groundbreaking and a leading national and regional-level educational institution in agribusiness. All partners – US Department of Agriculture, Texas A&M University, and the Armenian National Agrarian University – were aware of the existing needs and challenges within the Armenian agribusiness sector. Armenia needed well-trained specialists and leaders with important managerial decision-making skills, capable of building a knowledge-based economy.

Last September, the CIS Armenia school opened its doors in the center of Yerevan. It is notable not only for its comprehensive curriculum based on the British model (developed by the University of Cambridge and recognized by universities all over the world) but also for its modern approach to education. Here, everything is done to ensure students are happy whilst studying and are supported to discover their real talents. We talked about the changes in education all over the world with the director of CIS Armenia Mr. Runar Salimullin.

The hot topic in the business sphere in Armenia now – is the opportunities of the +180m market opened up by the signing of EEU agreement. Russia, a 4-trillion$ economy, that only for the last couple of years has stagnant growth rates, has the potential to reshape Armenia’s businesses and the economy as a whole.

Around the world, the role and power of the private sector is increasing in both global, as well as local markets. Businesses are increasingly being seen as important players in social and economic development on every level. Armenia is no exception.