On July 20, the Minister of Economic Development and Investments of RA Suren Karayan received the delegation headed by the United States Trade Deputy Representative for Europe and the Middle East Daniel Mullaney. The meeting was attended by the First Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Investments of RA Garegin Melkonyan and other officials from the Ministry.

Greeting the guests, the Minister Karayan mentioned, “I am glad to meet you and to discuss our steps towards further joint development, we have a great way to pass, as the potential that exists in our economic relations is not fully realized and we tend to work more intensively. We are eager to have American investments in the Republic of Armenia and are ready to discuss special favorable regimes for large investment projects.” The Minister also expressed willingness to actively engage in discussions within the framework of the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA), signed between the Republic of Armenia and the United States, especially on issues the American business representatives are interested in and to provide solutions that will make easier for the US businesses to enter Armenia.

“We stress the importance of our economic relations with Armenia. Me and my team arrived in Armenia to observe bilateral trade and investments expanding ways within the framework of the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement signed between our countries,” mentioned the United States Trade Deputy Representative for Europe and the Middle East Daniel Mullaney.

Issues on the activity implemented on of the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA), signed between the Republic of Armenia and the United States have been discussed during the meeting. Particularly issues on trade and investment, technical barriers to trade, sanitary and phytosanitary, customs, intellectual property rights, reforms in the field of labor, environmental protection, public procurement have been discussed.

The importance of activation of business ties between two countries was stressed. The First Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Investments of RA Garegin Melkonyan mentioned that it is necessary to activate the cooperation through dialogue, especially in the directions that will bring to activation of business relations with the USA and added that the connection between businesses is one of the most important directions discussed under TIFA. He also stressed the possibility of holding a joint session in the near future.

Armenia-USA Trade and Investment Council is Co-Chaired by the Ministry of Economic Development and Investments of RA from the Armenian side and by United States Trade Representative Office from the American side.