TimeForChange Posted October 1, 2003 Report Share Posted October 1, 2003 Armenia Still A Risky Zone For EU Businessmen (source: Armeniadiaspora.com) Yerevan, October 01: "Armenia still remains a risky zone for European businessmen to invest money here," Hovhanes Igitian, the executive director of the Union of European Commercial Companies in Armenia (EUCCA), acting as a Chamber of Commerce, told a news conference today. "The unresolved conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan over Nagorno Karabagh, the ongoing blockade by Turkey and Azerbaijan, as well as a string of red tape problems, mainly in customs and tax areas make the country unattractive for European businesses," he said. EUCCA was founded as a non-profit organization in 2002 with strong support from and in alliance with the EU Representative Office and individual EU Member States' Embassies in Armenia to specifically represent the interests of EU investors and trading partners, as EU companies and individuals provide the majority of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Armenia. Igitian went on saying that Armenian legislation does not yet conform to European standards creating extra problems for businessmen. The declared goals of the EUCCA is to promote and strengthen awareness of the European Union and European integration within Armenia, work with the Armenian authorities in developing and improving the business environment to attract potential European investment, promote EU investment in and trade with Armenia, provide information, advice, support and mediation services to existing and future EU investors and trading partners into Armenia and many others. The EUCCA has also built a website at www.eucca.am to provide information for EU companies and to facilitate their entrance into Armenian market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teutonic Knight Posted October 1, 2003 Report Share Posted October 1, 2003 This web site is very encouraging.Armenia and the rest of Europe/Russia must walk the same path.I'm undecided regarding the border with so called "Turkey" but I see no problem why we shouldn't have a "transit" border without any conditions. Anything more, like allowing entry of cheap "Turkish" goods or giving visas to "Turkish" citizens should be unacceptable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gamavor Posted October 2, 2003 Report Share Posted October 2, 2003 (edited) Armenia needs strong European advocacy which at the present is non-existent. We have excellent relations with Greece and France, but those are limited to cultural ties and limited number of business undertakings. Armenia needs to find friends in Europe which would promote her agenda in the European scene and that will happen when the Government in Yerevan understood the meaning of the word "democracy". PS: In the last few decades the meaning of the word democracy have changed dramatically, at least in it European understanding. A democratic political decision in Europe is one that takes under consideration the minority vote. However, the new political structure in Europe would be based on the premise of consensus. This is the way how European Commission and most of the decision making bodies (exp. European parliament) work. Nothing new you would say, that mechanism was known since the times of the mythical King Arthur, but I would strongly encourage the political establishment in RA to study hard, listen carefully and try to understand the new horizons of the term "national interest". Edited October 2, 2003 by gamavor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.