On March 19 2018 high-level government officials held Council Meeting in Washington in the scope of U.S.-Armenia Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA).

American Chamber of Commerce noted that the purpose of Government-to-Government meeting was to discuss opportunities for expanding and to identify barriers and ways to remove impediments for enhancing trade and investments between the two countries

The discussion was focused on Technical Barriers to Trade, Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, Customs, and Intellectual Property Rights.

President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Armenia Ara Hovsepyan presented cross-sectorial issues raised by Armenian’s business community – such as unbiased and fair Competition law enforcement, Intellectual Property Rights Protection, predictability of regulatory framework, and limited communication on Eurasia Economic Union reforms and EU – Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership agreement.

The American Chamber of Commerce also discussed issues specific to agriculture, Information and Communication Technologies, as well as Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology sectors. Ara Hovsepyan encouraged two governments to actively collaborate with the private sector on the enhancement of U.S.-Armenia trade and investment relations through the engagement into Council’s Working Groups.

Ara Hovsepyan attached special importance to creating an “accountability” mechanism to keep the business community involved and up-to-date with the progress made towards resolving identified issues.

“The American Chamber of Commerce in Armenia, as one of the leading and dynamic business communities in the country, is ready to support the public-private sectors’ constructive dialogue and provide its solutions based on the breadth and depth of its 120+ companies’ experience, capacity, and potential,” stated the President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Armenia.

The Business-to-Government session was concluded by the presentation of Coca-Cola HBC Armenia General Manager Christoph Speck, on opportunities and challenges ahead in the continuation of Coca-Cola’s 22 years of success story in Armenia.

Trade and Investment Framework Agreement between the U.S. and Armenian Governments was signed on May 7 of 2015 and aims to expand trade and investments.

This is the second meeting since 2015, co-Chaired by the Assistant USTR Daniel Mullaney and Armenia’s Deputy Minister of Economic Development Hovhannes Azizyan.

The meeting also included representatives from U.S. Departments of State, Agriculture, Labor, and Commerce, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, US Food and Drug Administration and USAID.

The Armenian side was represented by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Labor and Social Affairs, Economic Development, Agriculture, and the State Revenue Committee.

U.S. Embassy in Armenia noted that the Armenian delegation, headed by Deputy Ministers of Economic Development and Foreign Affairs, was received by the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs Manisha Singh. The meeting was also attended by the Principal Deputy Assistant of State Brian McFeeters and Armenia’s Ambassador to U.S. Grigor Hovhannissian.

Both parties noted with satisfaction the growing interest in both capitals in expanding the current level of bilateral trade and investment. The Armenian delegation briefed the Assistant Secretary on the outcomes of the TIFA meeting and the priority areas of bilateral economic cooperation, such as ICT, renewable energy and wine-making.

The parties also noted with satisfaction Armenia’s decentralized partnership with the State of California, where Armenia intends to shortly establish its first trade office in the United States.