ArmInfo.Over the next five years, the government of Armenia will focus on the development of high technologies, industry, as well as the formation of an economy based on high environmental standards aimed at exporting competitive and innovative products. The Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan stated this on February 12 in the parliament of the country, presenting the government's program.
According to him, over the next five years, human thought, intellect and initiative should be the driving force of the country's development. In agriculture, the citizens of the country should be less engaged in physical labor, and more in intellectual. All sectors of the economy - agriculture, industry, mining, construction, urban economy, small and medium businesses - must comply with the highest environmental standards. "Every citizen must approach this issue consciously, and those who smoke and throw cigarette butts on the street, and those who intentionally exceed their authority, should think," the head of government said.
He also stated the need to actively promote the export of goods and services. The focus on export will be a priority task for the Armenian government, and in this process both large companies and small and medium businesses, as well as micro-business, should play a role. But the export of products and services should be based on modern technologies, including those using online commerce. As Nikol Pashinyan noted, products and services of agriculture, information technology, light industry, banking, education, and in the near future, heavy industry and metallurgy should be oriented towards export using high technologies.
Calling on consumers to give preference to domestic goods and services, the Prime Minister at the same time pointed to export priority, in which there are unlimited opportunities related to the country's membership in the EAEU, the Union's free trade zones with Iran and Vietnam, as well as preferential regimes of GSP and GSP + with Western countries. "It is necessary to ensure that goods and services meet all international standards, and the Armenian government will provide necessary assistance in this matter, ensuring the availability of international markets," the head of government said. Another task of the government, Nikol Pashinyan continued, is the transition of the country from the exporter of raw materials to the exporter of finished products. In this issue, the policy of tax preferences, ensuring the availability of loans, and reducing interest rates will continue. One of the most important tasks of the executive will also be maintaining financial stability. "We are confident that the Central Bank will be able to effectively manage this task," said Nikol Pashinyan.
According to him, the market in Armenia is extremely limited, in which there is a limited number of large companies. Often the arbitrariness of artificial monopolies or their leaders can lead to shocks for the country's economy. "Our goal is to create such a model of the economy, in which the maximum number of companies and citizens will participate in the formation of GDP, and their impact on the economy should be as decentralized as possible," said the head of government, stressing that the government does not act against large companies. "On the contrary, we want to see as many large companies as possible in the market, and SME to become large business," said Nikol Pashinyan.