PRESS RELEASE
May 5, 2008

A Conference on Armenian Economy to be Held in Washington, DC

A conference focusing on the Armenian economy will be held in Washington, D.C. on May 17-18, 2008. Entitled Looking Forward: Global Competitiveness of the Armenian Economy, the conference is organized by the Armenian International Policy Research Group. The conference will bring together Armenian academicians and professionals from the Homeland and the Diaspora, as well as other experts on Armenia. The conference is sponsored by the World Bank, United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and the Eurasia Partnership Foundation. Armenia’s Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan serves as a member of the organization’s Advisory Board and Minister of Economy Nerses Yeritsyan, is a Chair of the Executive Board.

After more than a decade of transition from a planned to market-based economy, Armenia undertook important reforms and experienced high rates of economic growth in recent years. In order to sustain this growth and ensure further economic development, the country will need to design and implement second-generation reforms based on lessons learned during this transition  and aimed at: (i) solidifying  the achievements of the transition period; (ii) ensuring a fair and level playing field for private sector development; (iii) choosing strategic directions for the country's export-oriented branches of the economy; and (iv) laying foundations for future development by strengthening institutions and modernizing social sectors, especially public education. 
 
Topics at the conference include strength of the Armenian currency, dram; trends in productivity; market structure and competition; the role of foreign aid; tourism and IT sectors; market reforms; the role of the Diaspora; and education. 

Plenary sessions will take place on May 17 and May 18. A reception at the Embassy of Armenia will be organized on the evening of May 17.