Business Community Ready to Engage Constructively in Developing and Implementing Armenia’s Economic Development Strategy

A delegation from the Union of Manufacturers and Businessmen of Armenia participated in the business workshop titled “Enhancing Armenia’s Economic Competitiveness Through Policy and Administrative Improvement”, held in Dilijan on April 18.

The workshop, held in a Government–Business format and attended by the President of Armenia, Vahagn Khachaturyan, was organized at the initiative of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Its aim was to identify challenges in economic activity and the investment environment, uncover new development opportunities, enhance governance efficiency, and clarify reform priorities through open, inclusive, and productive dialogue — all in pursuit of joint decision-making.

In his welcome address, Prime Minister Pashinyan expressed gratitude to business community representatives from various sectors, experts, and public officials for their active participation. In his speech, he provided a detailed overview of Armenia’s economic development priorities and current challenges, emphasizing the importance of continuous, constructive, and effective dialogue between the executive branch and the private sector. He noted that such large-scale events are crucial for shaping a shared vision of how government and business can work together more effectively to ensure sustainable economic growth in the Republic of Armenia.

“Economic development and its resulting outcomes will either expand or constrain our capacity to identify and solve long-term issues. From this perspective, I have a clear goal for this workshop: to better understand the atmosphere in the business environment and identify the problems we are facing and how close we are to solving them,” said Pashinyan.

He also underscored the importance of forming an agenda of upcoming economic actions as a result of the workshop, with the intention of pursuing them in a spirit of collaboration. Within this context, the Prime Minister stressed the need to develop a unified economic roadmap that serves the public interest, as well as the importance of building consensus and a shared understanding around it.

Following the Prime Minister’s speech, two panel discussions took place: “Macroeconomic, Investment, and Educational Policies as Pillars of Economic Competitiveness” and “Effective Governance as a Key Factor in the Economic Environment.” These sessions addressed sector-specific issues and the economic potential for resolving them.
Throughout the workshop, discussions also focused on increasing the effectiveness of ongoing reforms, enhancing the administrative practices of the State Revenue Committee, and ensuring inclusivity in decision-making by the executive branch.

A separate panel was dedicated to the topic “Prospects for Government–Business Dialogue”, moderated by Prime Minister Pashinyan himself. Arsen Ghazaryan, President of the Union of Manufacturers and Businessmen of Armenia, addressed a number of concerns affecting the business community. Emphasizing the value of effective government–private sector dialogue, he welcomed the Prime Minister’s proposal to hold similar meetings at least twice a year. Ghazaryan expressed the Union’s commitment to maintaining an active dialogue with the government, relevant ministries, and the legislature — both through its members and in cooperation with experts and economic-focused NGOs — with the aim of contributing constructively to the development and implementation of Armenia’s economic strategy. He also voiced support for the creation of a legal framework that serves both state and business interests.

The event concluded with Prime Minister Pashinyan presenting the “Real Armenia” ideology.

As part of the workshop, participants visited the village of Kirants, where they were introduced to infrastructure developed after the recent border demarcation and briefed on the progress of work conducted in the area.