Armenian businessman urges Diaspora Armenians to invest in their homeland
19.09.2017,
17:33
Businessman Arsen Ghazaryan, who is chairman of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Armenia, urged today Diaspora-based Armenian entrepreneurs to invest in their homeland and win new markets across the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union, the European Union and the United States.
YEREVAN, September 19. /ARKA/. Businessman Arsen Ghazaryan, who is chairman of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Armenia, urged today Diaspora-based Armenian entrepreneurs to invest in their homeland and win new markets across the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union, the European Union and the United States.
According to him, today a significant part of Armenian enterprises operate at 10-20% of their capacity. They badly need fresh investments to boost output. He said also that about half of agricultural land in the Ararat Valley is not cultivated, as farmers have no money for it.
"No we are trying to create agricultural cooperatives, to enlarge them and if we are able to attract substantial investments for the processing industry, we will be able to start any production - from tomato paste to caviar," Ghazaryan said in the margins of the sixth Armenia-Diaspora forum. In his words, these products will not have sale problems, since there are orders from the USA and Europe. The entrepreneur reminded that more than 1000 Armenian goods are entitled to the GSP + program in the US and EU countries.
"The Armenian market should not be viewed only as an opportunity to squeeze between the local oligarchs to trade in the local market. We should look more broadly: to produce in Armenia and sell to foreign markets - from Iran and Georgia to Europe and from Russia to Kazakhstan," Ghazaryan said.
On Armenia’s membership in the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), he said it coincided with tightening of international sanctions against Russia, the collapse of the Russian ruble, a reduction in the volume of transfers to Armenia by 60%, which was the main source of financing for the local consumer market.
"Over the past year and a half, we were not able to export Armenian brandy to the Russian market because of the fluctuation of the ruble and the uncertainty with the contracts, but now we have overcome these difficulties," Ghazaryan said.
According to him, it is Armenian membership in the EEU that allows to convince Diaspora businessmen to invest in Armenia. -0-
According to him, today a significant part of Armenian enterprises operate at 10-20% of their capacity. They badly need fresh investments to boost output. He said also that about half of agricultural land in the Ararat Valley is not cultivated, as farmers have no money for it.
"No we are trying to create agricultural cooperatives, to enlarge them and if we are able to attract substantial investments for the processing industry, we will be able to start any production - from tomato paste to caviar," Ghazaryan said in the margins of the sixth Armenia-Diaspora forum. In his words, these products will not have sale problems, since there are orders from the USA and Europe. The entrepreneur reminded that more than 1000 Armenian goods are entitled to the GSP + program in the US and EU countries.
"The Armenian market should not be viewed only as an opportunity to squeeze between the local oligarchs to trade in the local market. We should look more broadly: to produce in Armenia and sell to foreign markets - from Iran and Georgia to Europe and from Russia to Kazakhstan," Ghazaryan said.
On Armenia’s membership in the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), he said it coincided with tightening of international sanctions against Russia, the collapse of the Russian ruble, a reduction in the volume of transfers to Armenia by 60%, which was the main source of financing for the local consumer market.
"Over the past year and a half, we were not able to export Armenian brandy to the Russian market because of the fluctuation of the ruble and the uncertainty with the contracts, but now we have overcome these difficulties," Ghazaryan said.
According to him, it is Armenian membership in the EEU that allows to convince Diaspora businessmen to invest in Armenia. -0-
