ArmInfo.  On April 8, RA Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan received Iva Petrova, outgoing Chief of the IMF Mission in Armenia. As reported by the press service of the  RA government, the meeting was also attended by Umang Rawat, IMF  Resident Representative in Armenia, and Alexander Tieman, who will  succeed Iva Petrova.

ArmInfo. The construction of  the Ayg-1 photovoltaic power plant by the UAE based Masdar will start  in early 2026. This became known following the meeting between the  Minister of Economy of Armenia, Gevorg Papoyan, and the CEO of  Masdar, Mohammed Jameel Al Ramahi.

ArmInfo. In Armenia's foreign  trade, transactions involving precious metals and stones have been  declining since 2025, totaling 20% ($558.2 million)  in  January-February compared to 61.6% ($3.6 billion) a year earlier.  This category of goods has been the main factor contributing to the  worsening annual dynamics of the country's foreign trade turnover,  which has dropped from 200% growth to a 52% decline. According to   data from the RA Statistical Committee, in January- February 2025,  the share of imports and exports of precious metals and stones in the  total trade turnover decreased to 13.5% and 31.1%, respectively,  compared to 55% and 70% in the same period of the previous year. In  terms of volume, during the reporting period, these products were  imported for $234.9 million and exported for $323.3 million: their  import decreased by 86.7%  and export by 82.1% over the year, 

ArmInfo. Armenia's foreign trade  with the EAEU has started to decrease, while it is aiming to increase  trade with the EU. The foreign trade turnover between Armenia and the  EAEU has shifted from an impressive 2.1-fold growth to a noticeable  decline of 61.5% in annual dynamics. On the other hand, trade between  Armenia and the EU, although still declining, has shown a slowdown in  rates from 19% to 7.5%. As a result, the volume of Armenia's foreign  trade with the EAEU was $1.01 billion in January-February 2025, and  $298.6 million with the EU. This is evidenced by statistical data for  January-February 2025.

ArmInfo. Armenia is interested  in importing rough diamonds from Angola, as stated by the Minister of  Economy of Armenia, Gevorg Papoyan, during a meeting with the  Minister of Industry and Trade of the Republic of Angola, Rui Miguens  de Oliveira.  The Minister highlighted that Armenia has a  well-developed process for  processing rough diamonds and has the  capacity to annually import and process 1.5 million carats of  diamonds from Angola.  According to the press service of the  department, the parties discussed issues related to the purchase of  diamonds  and agreed to further discuss the matter in due course.

ArmInfo. As part of the reforms  initiated by the State Revenue Committee, the International Monetary  Fund (IMF) is conducting a new tax administration assessment using  the Tax Administration Diagnostic Tool (TADAT). The goal is to  identify the system's achievements and shortcomings, and to determine  priorities for further reforms.

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ArmInfo.  On April 8, RA Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Khachatryan received Iva Petrova, the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission in Armenia, who is  completing her term in the country. Alexander Tieman, who will soon  replace Iva Petrova, was also present at the meeting.

ArmInfo.  Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan and Russian President's Special Representative for International and Cultural Cooperation Mikhail  Shvydkoy, discussed efforts to boost tourist flow between their  countries at a meeting in Yerevan.  As reported by the press service  of the Armenian government, the parties also discussed ongoing and  future collaboration in  education, science and culture.  At the end  of the meeting, both parties reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing  their partnership and implementing new joint initiatives. 

ArmInfo. Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan discussed practical steps to strengthen ties between the business communities of the two countries with the Minister of Energy and Infrastructure of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Suhail Al  Mazrouei and CEO of Etihad Rail Shadi Malacca.

ArmInfo. The unemployment rate in Armenia in 2024 increased from 12.4% to 13.9%. According to  data from the RA Statistical Committee, the indicator for the reporting year is preliminary.

ArmInfo. In Armenia, the natural population growth in January- February decreased by almost 2 times, amounting to 9 people. In particular, the natural population growth rate in the reporting period was close to 0 per mille, compared to 1.4 per mille in the same period of 2024.  This is evidenced by  data from the RA Statistical Committee.  In January-February 2025, 4,928 children were born in Armenia, while 4,919 people died. In the span of a year, there was  a 9.1% decrease in the birth rate, alongside a 3.1%  increase in the mortality rate. The birth rate and death rate per 1000 inhabitants were both 10 per mille during the reporting period, as opposed to 11.2 per mille and 9.8 per mille, respectively, from a year ago.

ArmInfo. In January-February 2025, Armenia's service sector generated revenue of 556.1 billion drams ($1.4 billion), showing an acceleration in  annual growth from 5.2% to 12.4%. According to  the RA Statistical Committee, in February alone, the service sector experienced a decline of 1.3% - to 276.1 billion drams ($698 million).

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ArmInfo. Within the framework of the 150th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, held in Tashkent from April 5 to 9, Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia Hakob Arshakyan met with the head of the delegation of the Federal National Council of the United Arab Emirates to the Inter-Parliamentary Union and Vice President of the Inter- Parliamentary Union. Ali Rashid Al-Nuaimi.  As reported by the press service of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, during the meeting the Vice Speaker noted that  the UAE is one of the important reliable partners of Armenia.

ArmInfo. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission in Armenia, Iva Petrova, who is concluding her mission in the Republic of Armenia. Alexander Tieman, who will serve as the  next head of the IMF mission in Armenia, was also present at the meeting.

ArmInfo. In January-February 2025, Armenia's trade sector experienced a slowdown in  its annual growth rate, dropping from 24.1% to 7.8, with a total volume of 822.6 billion drams (over $2 billion). According to data from the RA Statistics Committee, trade turnover in Armenia increased by 16.6% in February alone, reaching 443.5 billion drams ($1.1 billion).  In particular, wholesale trade in January-February 2025 slowed in annual growth from 37.7% to 9.2%, generating revenue of 532 billion drams ($1.3 billion). The volume of car purchase/sale  during the reporting period reversed its annual trend from a 7.5% decline to a 9.4% growth, totaling 31.5 billion drams ($79.3 million).  In retail trade, the annual growth rate decreased 7.2% to 4.9%, with revenues reaching 259.3 billion drams ($653.5 million).

ArmInfo. In January-February 2025, Armenia's metallurgical industry  reduced production volumes by 26% per annum (compared to a 37% growth the previous year).  This is evidenced by  data from the RA Statistical Committee.

ArmInfo. Power generation in Armenia in January-February 2025 totaled 1,642.3 million kWh, marking an 8.8% increase compared to the same period last year, which had experienced a 4.2% decline. According to the Statistical Committee of the Republic of Armenia, in February alone, volumes decreased by 5.6% to 867.2 million kWh.  In particular, in January-February of this year, Hydroelectric power plants increased their power generation by 70.9% per annum to 328 million kWh, nuclear power plants by 2.3% to 640 million kWh, and solar power plants by 86.7% per annum to 169.5 million kWh. At the same time, thermal power plants reduced their power production by 11.6% per annum to 648.6 million kWh. Wind power plants also decreased their power production by 75.3% per annum to million kWh.

ArmInfo. In January-February 2025, the production volumes of all alcoholic beverages  in Armenia decreased, except for whiskey and beer. According to the RA Statistical Committee, whiskey was produced  in the amount of 360 thousand liters, which is 90.3% higher than the figure for the previous year. The volume of beer production increased by 8.1% year-on-year, amounting to 2.6 million liters. Cognac production decreased by 45.3% to 2 million liters, wine - by 33.3% to 845.6 thousand liters, and sparkling wine (champagne) - by 15.8% to 124.6 thousand liters.  The production of vodka, liqueur and other alcoholic beverages decreased year-on-year by 3.9% to 143.3 thousand liters.