On December 14 Mr. Tigran Torosyan, President of the National Assembly, received the World Bank Vice President for Europe and Central Asia Region Mr. Shigeo Katsu. Mr. Aristomene Varudakis, World Bank Armenia Country Manager attended the meeting.
Mentioning the economic successes of Armenia in recent years, the President of the National Assembly expressed his gratitude for the support of the World Bank (WB) and the important role it had played while achieving those successes. The President of the Parliament presented Mr. Katsu in brief the political and economic achievements of Armenia, referring to the improvements of the second generation, the main
goal of which is the improvement of the state management system and the rise of the people’s living standards. Mr. Torosyan highlighted in particular the fighting against corruption, the provision of full, equal competition in economic processes, collection of taxes and the solution of social problems. The NA President informed the officials from the World Bank also that in RA law on 2008 State Budget passed by the National Assembly, taxes-GDP ratio was increased by 2 per cent (compared with 0.3-0.4% of the previous years), a problem, which was repeatedly highlighted in the discussions of WB and International Monetary Fund (IMF), which testifies the political will of the Armenian authorities. The NA President expressed confidence that with that step, providing an unprecedented high indicator of tax collection, the government will have essential successes in fighting against shade economy and corruption, and the execution of 2008 budget, the preconditions of which exist, will make more pretentious the 2009 budget. Mr. Torosyan emphasized in this context the solution of the social problems, noting that after the re-establishment of independence the Armenian people, who overcame numerous difficulties, deserve well-to-do life. The NA President, referring to 2005 constitutional reforms, noted that this gave possibility to create full mechanisms of checks and balances between state management bodies, as well as legislative bases of reforms judicial and local self-government systems. After 2008 presidential elections several provisions of political character also will begin to function, which will complete the legislation and will enable to call to life the reforms of the second generation.
The World Bank Vice President for Europe and Central Asia Region Mr. Shigeo Katsu, who has been in Armenia for two years, expressed satisfaction for the meetings in the state management system, with the public and private sectors, and comparing his visit with the one two years ago, noted that Armenia is rapidly developing. Expressing his gratitude to the NA President for active and permanent cooperation with the World Bank, Mr. Katsu said the WB had begun the elaboration of the new strategy of the assistance to Armenia, and it is interested in cooperation with parliament and NA President, expecting to have its views.
At Mr. Katsu’s request, the NA President touched upon the perspectives of Euro integration and regional cooperation, and noted that after the membership with the Council of Europe Armenia considers the Euro integration the priority of its foreign policy. As the NA President assessed, Armenia is a part of European civilization and has the same system of values, and simply due to historical circumstances, being cut for a while from Europe, what caused its consequences. While joining the Council of Europe the fulfillment of the undertaken obligations and the conduct of the presidential elections in accordance with democratic standards, will enable Armenia to put a question on the end of 2008 last monitoring process and the beginning of post-monitoring process. It’s a path that passed the Baltic and Eastern European countries that joined the European Union. In the aspect of regional cooperation perspectives, the NA President Mr. Tigran Torosyan reminded that Armenia is always ready for cooperation with the neighbours, including Azerbaijan and Turkey, proposing to let the existing problems to rest for a while and cooperate without preconditions in other issues, but the neighbours adopted other approach. Emphasizing the regional full cooperation, which can bring qualitative changes, the NA President expressed hope that in the nearest future Turkey and Azerbaijan will also change their position, stopping the policy of Armenia’s blockade and blackmail. “Armenia will never allow to speak with constraint or blackmail,” said the NA President, adding that it’s time for cooperation in the modern world, and those who don’t understand that, harm themselves: it’s not reasonable to pin hopes only on oil. Agreeing with the NA President’s views, Mr. Katsu noted that the cooperation programs will be taken into account while discussing, and said that very few countries succeeded to avoid the oil curse.