President Serzh Sargsyan participated at the closing ceremony of the Armenian-Polish Business Forum

In the framework of his official visit to the Republic of Poland, President Serzh Sargsyan together with the Polish President Bronisław Komorowski today in Warsaw participated at the closing ceremony of the Armenian-Polish Business Forum.

Serzh Sargsyan greeted the organizers and participants of the Business Forum, spoke about the centuries-long Armenian-Polish friendship, cooperation of the two countries in different areas, the Armenian-Polish trade and economic relations and briefly presented the business environment in modern Armenia, tendencies of economic development and investment opportunities.

In his welcoming remarks, the President spoke with esteem about the Polish authorities, in the person of President Komorowski and the Polish businessmen who, according to President Serzh Sargsyan, in the difficult conditions of the global economic and financial crisis have registered great success and through their daily work have further empowered their country.

“The Armenian-Polish friendship is centuries old and soon we will be celebrating the thousand year anniversary of the establishment of the first Armenian settlements in Poland. Becoming stronger with centuries, the Armenian-Polish relations are encompassing every area. The Armenians not only fought for independence of Poland but also made an important contribution to the country’s development. It is no accident that in order to advance the trade and crafts, the kings and princes of Poland were inviting Armenians to settle in different parts of the country, endowing them with numerous privileges and rights.

The high level of our current political relations and achievements registered in different areas, has its origin in the spiritual and cultural community, friendship and mutual sympathy formed during the ages.

Regrettably, today the Armenian-Polish trade and economic ties are substantially lagging behind the relations established in other areas. To fill that void, we, the two Presidents have decided on the necessity to organize a business forum – two years ago in Yerevan, and now here, in Warsaw. It should be noted that there are already some results, especially with regard to the presence of the Polish companies in Armenia and their participation in different Armenian projects. However, it is still not enough, and I urge you to be much more active.

Distinguished Entrepreneurs,

I would like to present briefly the business environment in modern Armenia, tendencies of economic development, as well as the investment opportunities.

Continuous improvement of the business and investment climate is a chief prerequisite of our economic development. Toward that end, in recent years, we have undertaken large-scale economic reforms, particularly related to the opening a business venture in Armenia, construction permits, registration of property, acquisition of loans, protection of investments, filing taxes and some other areas. The achieved results have been reflected in the international ratings, particularly, in the Doing Business-2012 annual report published by the World Bank’s International Financial Corporation. According to the mentioned report, Armenia compared to the previous year, improved her position by 18 points, occupying the 32nd position among 185 countries. Please note that it makes the business climate in Armenia the best in the CIS region.

Nevertheless, we don’t believe that our efforts aimed at the liberalization of the investment field and business climate and improvement of the state governance structure in general stop there. There is still a long road to go and we are passing that road with the assistance of our European friends.

In this context, it is warranted to speak about the Association Agreement to be signed with the European Union and the Deep and Comprehensive Tree Trade Agreement which constitutes its part. It will put our cooperation with the EU member states, including Poland, on a qualitatively new and more comprehensive basis.

Last December, we signed the agreement on visa facilitation with the European Union which was immediately followed by the cancelation of visa requirements for the EU citizens visiting Armenia. Considering also the Polish LOT airlines five times a week flights to Yerevan, I trust that all obstacles for visiting our country and observing the created conditions first hand have been removed.

Along with all this, I believe that Polish entrepreneurs would like to know that Armenia, being a member of the CIS Free Trade Zone agreement and closely cooperating with the Customs Union, has a competitive advantage in the CIS region. It definitely creates extra opportunities to enter the CIS market with more favorable conditions through the capital invested in Armenia.

Steps are also taken toward the improvment of infrastructure and full utilization of the existing opportunities which will allow to decrease the transportation fees.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to highlight a number of areas which, in my opinion, could possess potential for the further development of the Armenian-Polish cooperation.

The area of information technologies in Armenia is growing rapidly. It ensures high profitability and is really attractive for major foreign investments. It is proved by the presence in Armenia of 360 companies working in the IT area, 151 of which are branches of foreign companies. Many of the major international companies are represented in Armenia, among them Synopsys, National Instruments, Microsoft, D-Link, Mentor Graphics, and others.

Everything is being done to staff the field with professional cadre and, of course, to retrain them. The Armenian National Engineering Laboratories program is being implemented, and retraining programs have been launched at the Microsoft innovation center and laboratories of the Mobile Solutions.

The Tumo supermodern center of creative technologies for 12-18 years old children has been functioning in Yerevan since 2011, and now we are planning to extend the programs of the center to the regions of the Republic as well.

Traditional areas which brought the international recognition to the Armenians are jewelry making and diamond cutting. The Armenian jewelry is sold in many countries of the world, including Poland. We have serious programs on making Armenia a regional and why not, also an international hub for jewelry production through the creation in Armenia of the free zone for the jewelry production.

Armenia attaches importance to the establishment of free trade zones as a strong incentive for the attraction of direct foreign investments, introduction of advanced technologies, implementation of innovative methods, and creation of new jobs.

In coming years, we are planning to make large investments in the area of agriculture, through the technical re-equipment and enhancement of productivity, as well as through the modernization of processing capabilities.

I would like to see the growth of the Polish investments also in the area of tourism, mining, and health care which are continually modernized areas with great potential for development and which the state has declared the priority areas for development.

Distinguished Entrepreneurs,

I am hopeful that today’s Forum will enhance the establishment and expansion of the long-term and mutually beneficial economic programs for the prosperity of the Armenian and Polish peoples. I wish you all success and I hope that soon I will hear of success of the Polish businessmen in Armenia,” President Serzh Sargsyan told the participants of the Armenian-Polish Business Forum in his welcoming remarks.