Wednesday, 14 October 2009
RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan received the EU Advisory Group to Armenia, led by Head of EU delegation in Armenia, Ambassador Raul Lutzenberger.
Greeting the guests, the head of government stressed the need for keeping in close touch with the Advisory Group (AG) enabling thus both sides to assess progress and outline areas of future cooperation on a regular basis.
The AG members said to be highly appreciative of the Armenian government’s commitment to cooperation. They advised that six new experts are scheduled to join the Group to provide consultancy in specific areas of activity.
A special mention was made of RA Government’s anti-corruption efforts, administrative improvements in the tax and customs spheres, transparency-aimed actions in the system of public governance and State procurements, as well as the passing of a law on State service.
The parties spoke about the progress in preparative work for the signing of a free trade regime agreement, enacting simplified export procedures, introducing the GSP+ system in Armenia. They also looked at the possibility of strengthening the Council on Economic Competition and the SME support centers. In this light, they made a point of improving public debt management practices and building the capacity of relevant units of the Ministry of Finance.
Customs-related improvements, too, were discussed at the meeting, including the need for applying simplified clearance procedures and providing training for customs officers. The parties also spoke about the government’s public relations strategy.
The members of the Advisory Group outlined possibilities for expanding the scope of their work by noting that Armenia is a worldwide leader in this format of cooperation.
In conclusion, the Prime Minister thanked the EU Advisory Group members for useful and badly needed consultancy.
