On April 21 Gagik Minasyan, Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Financial-Credit, Budgetary and Economic Affairs received Eugene Scanteie and Bension Varon, advisers of Quality Assurance Group of the World Bank (WB). The latter visited Armenia to assess the researches and studies prepared by the World Bank Armenia Representation during the last four years. The mission representatives consider expedient to discuss the effectiveness of the work done with the legislative body of the country and submit objective information to WB leadership. The guests are interested in the correspondence of the researches made by WB with the real results of economic reforms.

Gagik Minasyan highly assessed the WB mission in Armenia, noting that his headed committee closely cooperates with the Armenian representation of the bank. He emphasized that in the issues of the development perspectives and priorities, the World Bank and the Committee hold the same opinion. Mr. Minasyan informed that the cooperation is also expressed within the format of parliamentary hearings, when the representatives of the international structures, including WB representatives are invited to the parliament. These meetings, according to the Committee Chairman, are very useful: the representatives of different layers of the society speak out loud about existing key problems at once. Eugene Scanteie noted that during the last years WB experts made studies in the spheres of Armenian insurance and mortgage markets, price system and poverty assessment. Gagik Minasyan especially highlighted not only the financial investments of the bank in Armenia, but also his consultative activity.

Gagik Minasyan considered necessary that WB would comprehensively boost the regional programmes, which would promote the economic integration and sustainable development of all countries of the region. He brought as an example the transport sphere: the re-opening of the railway between Turkey and Armenia can be its bright example. The Armenian side is ready to withhold from transporting the cargoes from Armenia through that railway and import goods to the republic till the settlement of the existing political problems with Turkey, said the Committee Chairman. Armenia is ready to use the railway only for transit transportation, promoting with this the economic integration and sustainable development of the regional countries.

WB representatives expressed their consent in connection with this stance. They expressed readiness to discuss the issue at WB office.