Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan discussed with the US Ambassador  the possibility of using "debt- for-nature-swap" for Armenia 

ArmInfo.Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran  Avinyan received US Ambassador Lynne Tracy today. Thanking the  Ambassador for the financial and technical assistance of the US  government, Avinyan highlighted the useful mission of USAID, calling  it one of the best examples of bilateral cooperation. The matter  concerns the implementation of more than 60 programs in the service  sector, digitalization and other areas.

The Deputy Prime Minister presented Armenia's interest in developing  effective mechanisms to respond to the challenges of climate change.  They discussed the possibility of launching an innovative financial  mechanism "debt-for-nature swap", which allows to reduce the debt  burden and at the same time implement development programs. (This  mechanism is actively used by the OSCD countries in relation to  developing countries with a high level of sovereign debt - Ed. note)

Within the framework of the agenda of bilateral cooperation, the  parties discussed the process of public administration reforms in  Armenia. The Deputy Prime Minister called the management reform a  cornerstone, stressing that it will ensure the efficient functioning  and transparency of the public administration system. In this  context, the current state of the process of digitalization of state  and public services was also mentioned. These works are in an active  stage and tangible results are expected by the end of the year. In  this context, he highlighted the issues of creating a unified  database of state and public services, the current work of state  bodies, justice, electronic government instruments.  During the  meeting, the sides also discussed the prospects for cooperation in  the field of energy security and renewable energy sources.

Taking into account the 106th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide,  the Deputy Prime Minister stressed the need for the recognition and  condemnation of the Genocide by the international community. At the  same time, he stressed that the US position on this issue is  important, expressing the hope that President Joe Biden will clearly  express his position, which was voiced during the pre-election  period.  It should be noted that on April 21, Avinyan discussed the  issue of implementing the "debts- for -nature" exchange mechanism  with the EU Ambassador to Armenia Andrea Wiktorin.