Minister of Economy Familiarizes with the Economic Situation in Syunik Province

The Minister of Economy, Vahan Kerobyan, visited Syunik Province on a working trip from January 18 to 19. This was reported by the Information and Public Relations Department of the Ministry of Economy of Armenia.

The purpose of the visit was to familiarize himself with the economic situation in Syunik and discuss possible cooperation opportunities. “The population and businesses of Syunik are facing new challenges. Naturally, as the Minister of Economy, I needed to see the situation and try to understand what we, the ministry, can do to help overcome the consequences of the war and maintain the strength of the province,” said Vahan Kerobyan.

Together with the Governor of Syunik, Melikset Poghosyan, and Deputy Minister of Economy Arman Khojoyan, the minister toured the “Meger” Free Economic Zone, the dried fruits and procurement center in Meghri, the Agarak PMK LLC, and the Meghri canned goods factory. Vahan Kerobyan expressed detailed interest in the operations and challenges faced by these organizations, indicating his readiness to provide possible assistance as needed.

The minister viewed the launch of the “Meger” Free Economic Zone as a priority issue that requires a prompt solution. He expressed hope that visible changes would occur there in the near future.

At the Governor's office, discussions took place with Governor Melikset Poghosyan and other responsible employees of the provincial administration regarding economic issues in the province, including agriculture: irrigation water, livestock construction, feed base provision, revitalization and reoperation of bankrupt companies, and many other matters.

Vahan Kerobyan noted that the majority of government support programs in the agricultural sector last year had demand, and efforts should be made to continue them while also having new, more targeted, and better programs to enhance agricultural efficiency. “The core of our policy should be the creation of high-productivity and, as much as possible, large-scale economies. It is necessary to increase the attractiveness of large-scale agriculture. Naturally, not many people can engage in such agriculture, therefore we must also create many other non-agricultural jobs so that people are not forced to deal with small-scale agriculture,” said the Minister of Economy.

Considering the start of the agricultural season, it was decided to gather proposals from all communities in a very short time, to understand what is necessary to ensure that the ministry can undertake appropriate actions.

Vahan Kerobyan, accompanied by Deputy Minister Arman Khojoyan, also met with the community leader of Kapan, Gevorg Parsyan, the owner of “Goris” Hotel, Senik Julhakyan, and visited the farm of “Lamakhs Group” dairy and meat production company, as well as “Syunik Food” company. During all meetings, accumulated issues were discussed, and the possible avenues for support from the Ministry of Economy were explored. The minister emphasized that obstacles must be removed from the path of entrepreneurs and also noted that communities must perceive entrepreneurs as investors and work with them.