Breaking: US and Armenia to Sign Trade and Investment Framework Agreement 

WASHINGTON—U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills today confirmed reports that a U.S.-Armenia Trade and Investment (TIFA) Treaty will be signed during President Serge Sarkisian’s working visit this week to Washington, D.C., the final step in the negotiation of a bilateral economic accord long sought by the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), the American Chamber of Commerce in Armenia, and Armenia-based U.S. businesses.

Responding to questions from Yerkir Media’s Vanuhi Avagyan at a press conference earlier today, Ambassador Mills explained, “We are very pleased that progress is being made towards the signing of the TIFA agreement.” The deal, he added, will result in “more opportunities for trade and business” between the two countries. “I can assure you that the relationship between Armenia and the United States is very strong. President [Barack] Obama thinks this relationship is very important.”

“This week’s TIFA signing—a long-standing ANCA policy priority—represents a constructive, concrete expression of our commitment to generating good jobs, inspiring real hope, creating sustainable growth, and building economic opportunity both in Armenia and here in America,” said ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian. “We want to thank all those in our community, in Congress, and—of course—in both the U.S. and Armenian governments who helped bring this agreement into being. We look forward, in the coming weeks and months, to building on this progress by securing a Double Tax Treaty and eventually a full-fledged Free Trade Agreement.”

In a letter sent this week to U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman calling for a TIFA signing this week, ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian outlined 10 practical benefits of putting in place this government-to-government platform for dialogue on the growth of bilateral trade and investment. These benefits include:

– Improving the investment climate, identifying priority growth areas, and building trade capacity

– Addressing regional trade issues, including the special hardships faced by Armenia due to the blockades imposed on its borders by Turkey and Azerbaijan

– Streamlining customs systems, and increasing the transparency of governmental processes related to imports and exports

– Discussing the effectiveness of current programs in Armenia of the U.S. Export-Import Bank, Overseas Private Investment Corporation, and U.S. Trade and Development Agency

– Expanding agricultural trade and investment

– Growing the level of trade in services, including banking, insurance, and tourism

– Promoting diasporan trade and investment, with a special focus on expanding Armenian-American trade and investment partnerships with Armenia

– Improving Armenia ’s use of U.S. Generalized System of Preferences benefits

– Addressing any outstanding problems in the area of intellectual property rights

– Exploring ways to deepen future U.S.-Armenia trade and investment

 

Hachikian’s complete letter is available at:

http://www.anca.org/assets/pdf/Obama_tifa_letter.pdf

ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian joined Hachikian in welcoming the forthcoming signing of the key bilateral trade agreement in a video message to the Armenian-American community, calling it a “win-win” for U.S.-Armenia economic relations.

Additional information about the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement and details about the signing will follow.

http://youtu.be/E_5CYa-MCh8  
Guest Contributor

Guest Contributor

Guest contributions to the Armenian Weekly are informative articles or press releases written and submitted by members of the community.

11 Comments

  1. My hops are that this agreement is about trade , and only trade , without any softening of our fight to re-unite our homelands of western Armenia, or any element of the Crime of the Armenian genocide which requires FULL JUSTICE ,,, not partial <3 <3 <3

  2. Bloody good news ever can’t believe it I’m going to cry this is the first step towards Haghtanag

  3. I read it earlier and was very impressed with this fruitful Trade signining between Armenia and US hoping it is accom[plished sooner than later for those, mainly youth, who intend to leve the country to be patien for litle while until it is accomplished. I am very exited and happy for this development between armenia and US.

  4. I always get a bit suspicious when I hear clichés such as “win-win” situations, “good for all parties”, etc., when politicians are involved in the process. The crux of the matter is of course, does this deal address the issue that elected politicians in Armenia should not be handling their own personal businesses while in office? I hope that the first item called “Improving the investment climate” refers to this issue.
    And I join others who have already stated; I hope this is about trade, only trade and nothing else but trade.

  5. Finally, some good news coming out of Yerevan’s risky complimentary politics. Although it’s too early to say but Yerevan is finally succeeding to present Armenia as a potential trade hub. Ironically, heightened tensions between Russia and the West caused by the on-going conflict in the Ukraine is helping Armenia in this regard. Maintaining political stability and carefully managing good relations with both East and West, Armenia is beginning to look like the ideal place to do business in the region. Armenia can even act as an “offshore” for Russian and American entities wishing to do business indirectly. All in all, brilliant politicking by President Sargsyan.

    PS: Despite any trade deals, official Yerevan can never lose sight of the fact that Western entities like USAID and the IMF continue to pose a serious danger to Armenia.

    • {“How specifically does USAID pose a danger to Armenia?”}

      Random:

      Are you pretending to be clueless ?
      I know you are well-read and intelligent: so what is it ?
      You can’t possibly be serious with that question.
      I’ll give you just one example below about the dirty tricks USAID is involved in: from an American source.
      You can do your own research: after you do, please come back and tell us how USAID does _not_ pose a danger to RoA.

      Just to be clear: US foreign policy (State Dept) has been infiltrated and highjacked by Anti-American foreign interests.
      American people, your average American taxpayers, are as much victims of these Anti-American scum as innocent peoples throughout the world.
      Hopefully some day “We the People” can cleanse this great Republic of the foreign inspired Neocon filth.

      God bless America.

      http://www.democracynow.org/2014/4/4/is_usaid_the_new_cia_agency
      {“U.S. Secretly Created ‘Cuban Twitter’ to Stir Unrest.” That is the name of an explosive new article by the Associated Press detailing how the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) created a fake Twitter program to undermine the Cuban government. The communications network was called “ZunZuneo” — slang for a Cuban hummingbird’s tweet. It was reportedly built with secret shell companies financed through foreign banks. According to AP, the United States planned to use the platform to spread political content that might trigger a Cuban Spring, or, as one USAID document put it, “renegotiate the balance of power between the state and society.” We speak to Peter Kornbluh, director of the Cuba Documentation Project at the National Security Archive. He recently wrote an article in Foreign Policy called “Our Man in Havana: Was USAID Planning to Overthrow Castro?”}

  6. Trust no one. Only ourselves and Armenia’s military. If the Armenian Genocide didn’t teach us this very poignant fact, then it taught us nothing at all.

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