On February 8, 2021, the RA Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan received the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Resident Representative in Armenia Dmitry Maryasin.

Welcoming the UNDP Resident Representative, the Minister stressed the continuous effective cooperation with the UNDP, noting the joint development programs in the fields of SME, agriculture, and tourism.

Dmitry Maryasin congratulated the Minister on his appointment as the RA Minister of Economy, then presented the UNDP priorities, emphasizing the necessity to implement new innovation-based programs.

During the meeting the parties stressed the importance of having regular consultations and realization of activities in the fields of innovation, agriculture, small reservoirs, and promotion of investments. In this regard, Vahan Kerobyan stressed the importance of preparation of the Investment Policy Review report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and elaboration of recommendations thereto.

The Minister also informed about the initiative of creating non-agricultural jobs in rural areas, which will enable the residents of rural communities to work in tourism, light industry, and other spheres.

The Minister of Economy spoke about the ambitious idea of ​​turning Yerevan into a regional high-tech center and informed that discussions are underway to build appropriate infrastructure. Vahan Kerobyan also shared the idea of ​​the reservoirs operating in Armenia to be open to visitors, which will create an opportunity for domestic tourism development.

Dmitry Maryasin referred to the eRegulations electronic platform and suggested to continue intensifying the work on investment promotion and joint implementation of tourism development programs.

At the end of the meeting, an agreement was reached to organize separate meetings with international experts in the fields of tourism and investment.