OREANDA-NEWS. On 08 August 2008 was announced, that the Minister of Economy Nerses Yeritsyan received S. Ken Yamashita, The Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator of USAID Bureau for Europe & Eurasia. Robin Phillips, Mission Director of the USAID office in Yerevan and Vahram Ghushchyan, Deputy Minister of Economy were present at the meeting.

The main purpose of the visitors was the better understanding of problems we are facing with on the way of the reforming process in Armenia, and also to imagine the possibilities of collaboration.

At the beginning of the meeting Mr. Minister presented in brief the Governmental Program, the primary goals, directed in development of the stable economy for promotion of competitiveness of the country and integration into the international market.

Also, Nerses Yeritsyan underlined the spheres where extensive reforms are carried out: education (establishment of the most competitive educational system); pension reform; governance (implementation of the Corporate Governance bases in privet –public sectors); governmental reforms (conflict of interests issue, fighting against the corruption); regional development (implementation of regional development new projects to raise the income and living standards of people).

Talking about 5 wide–national Governmental programs:

- establishment of competitive environment for Doing Business and investments (competitive tax and customs system, intellectual property etc.);

- establishment of the best in the region educational centre (school connectivity, fixing higher education system, prepare good specialists in math, physics, banking, science and other fields);

- establishment of the best healthcare centre (marrow and stem cell transplantation, cochlear part implantation, oncological, dental, cardiovascular surgery, barrenness treatment etc.)

- establishment of the best tourism centre

- establishment of the best financial and banking system in the region.

Mr. Minister pointed that to materialize all those projects, it is necessary to change as the mindset of broad sections of the public, the mindset of ruling and business circles as well.

At the end of the meeting, Mr. Yamashita said that he is deeply impressed by governmental programs and consider them as ambitious, but doable projects. By his words, the fundamental preconditions for establishment of favourable conditions for business environment and raising the competitiveness of the country are corruption fighting policy and ultra transparency in operations of public enterprises.