In April-May 2018, the political changes took place in Armenia, the ideas of which were reflected in pre-election programme of “My step” Alliance, which received the support of the majority of Armenian citizens in the 2018, as well as in the "Program of the Government of the Republic of Armenia" adopted on February 8, 2019. According to the Programme of the Government of Armenia “During the upcoming five years the activities of the Government of the Republic of Armenia will be aimed at building competitive and inclusive economy in the Republic of Armenia that … is export-oriented.”

This study presents the promises made by the Government of the Republic of Armenia to promote exports and analyses the steps taken by the Government for the implementation of that promises in period 2018-2019. Full material is only available in Armenian.

In the present analysis, given the data published by the Statistical Committee of the RA, we study the recent social-economic developments in the economy of the RA. In particular, we consider the cumulative indicator of economic activity of the given month, its sectoral distribution, as well as the dynamics of individual sectors of the economy. We also analyze economic developments in the foreign trade, labour market and fiscal system of the RA. In addition, some aspects of the financial system (inflation, deposits and loans), as well as the behaviour of the exchange rate, are touched upon. Full material is only available in Armenian.

The objective of the present analysis is to assess the execution of the state budget of the RA in the given period. First, we describe the general state of the economy of the RA, namely the driving forces of economic activity, the developments in individual sectors of the economy, the behavior of the components of the demand – consumption and investment – and so on. Afterwards, we analyze the performance of government revenues and expenditures by comparing the actual and planned values of the respective indicators. We conclude the analysis by summarizing the main observations and results. Full material is only available in Armenian․

While public attention in Armenia is focused on the domestic political agenda, not far from our borders there are taking place events, with serious military-political and economic threats to Armenia. In this context, recent developments around Iran deserve special attention. Within the framework of this analysis, the peculiarities of the situation around Iran were examined and potential threats to Armenia were identified, considering the crisis in a regional context and assessing the behavior of international players. The main purpose of the analysis is to draw the attention of the Armenian public, experts and political circles to the threats emanating from the current situation, emphasizing the importance of consolidating the society, bridging the internal gap and further harmonizing cooperation between Armenia and Artsakh in order to counter these threats.

The present analysis is devoted to the investigation of the key aspects of the state budget of the RA. First, we consider the projections of macroeconomic variables forming the basis of the budget, then we analyse the planned values of parameters of the general and central budget of the RA. We pay particular attention to the comparison of the planned values of revenues and expenditures with the actual levels observed in previous years. In the end we make conclusions in order to assess whether the budget addresses the problems that exist in the RA. Full material is only available in Armenian.

The 74th session of the UN General Assembly was held on September 17-30 in New York. It is no secret that most countries use the UN GA tribune to present their main approaches to various foreign policy issues. The speeches from this tribune do not just contain texts that pursue exclusively situational goals; they go through a serious preparatory stage and are based on the strategic perception of particular issues by the respective countries. Studying the speeches of representatives of different countries, as well as other events within the framework of the UN General Assembly allow us to understand their key messages for Armenia and the region.

In the present analysis, given the data published by the Statistical Committee of the RA, we study the recent social-economic developments in the economy of the RA. In particular, we consider the cumulative indicator of economic activity of the given month, its sectoral distribution, as well as the dynamics of individual sectors of the economy. We also analyze economic developments in the foreign trade, labour market and fiscal system of the RA. In addition, some aspects of the financial system (inflation, deposits and loans), as well as the behaviour of the exchange rate, are touched upon. Full material is only available in Armenian.

The study of indicators and indices published by international organizations allows to address two important problems. First, to assess the performance of the RA in the given period with the help of comprehensive numerical measures, as well as to make intertemporal comparisons in order to understand whether the country moves in the desirable direction. Second, to compare the performance of the RA with other countries to ascertain Armenia’s relative position in the region and Eurasian Economic Union. These results are important, since they help to derive the comprehensive assessment of the economic situation, which is needed both for the public and the private sector. The present analysis is aimed at addressing the foregoing problems. Full material is only available in Armenian.

On October 10, 2019 the RA government approved the judicial and legal reforms strategy in the Republic of Armenia for 2019-2023 within the framework of which, in the first quarter of 2020, a Fact-finding commission is expected to be created. Such commissions are temporary, extrajudicial bodies that establish facts of mass and gross violations of human rights or humanitarian law in the past. Such commissions were basically created in societies exhausted by the civil war and dictatorship, such as Ecuador, Kenya, Mauritius, Solomon Islands and Togo. This analysis presents the circumstances that led to the creation of such commissions in international practice, the problems that arose during the creation of the commissions and, in the light of the latter, the model of the fact-finding commission proposed by the government of the RA. Full material is only available in Armenian.

In the RA the reforms of property taxation are fairly relevant and urgent, since this area features numerous problems that require legislative solutions. The international experience points out that relative to GDP the volume of property taxes of the RA is inadequate compared with commensurate countries. To ensure more efficient taxation of property it is necessary to make amendments in the methodology of assessing cadastral value by diminishing its deviation from the market value. However, the legislative package proposed by the government of the RA does not entail clear mechanisms of property assessment and amplifies the instability and uncertainty around property tax rates. Full material is only available in Armenian.