OSCE Office in Yerevan co-organizes high-level forum on economic crisis in Armenia

YEREVAN, 25 May 2009 - Top Armenian policy makers, representatives from international organizations, major local financial institutions and think tanks met today to discuss how Armenia best can tackle the global financial crisis at a forum organized by the Policy Forum in Armenia in co-operation with the OSCE Office in Yerevan and other organizations.

The agenda included discussions on Armenia's economic policies and efforts to address the effects of the crisis.

"Bringing together top experts from central economic and finance institutions to discuss joint measures by the Government, international community and high-ranking professionals will help Armenia find efficient ways to overcome the global economic recession," said Ambassador Sergey Kapinos, the Head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan.

David Grigoryan, one of the co-founders of the Policy Forum Armenia, added: "This event facilitated the participation of major policy makers in an expert discussion to promote wide-ranging approaches to the challenges of the crisis for Armenia."

Five former Armenian prime ministers participated in the final panel session "Armenia: Weathering the Global Storm" which featured a broad discussion on policy alternatives. Other participants included current and former high-level representatives from the Central Banks of Armenia, Russia and Turkey; former Ministers of Economy and Finance, parliamentarians and researchers.

The OSCE Office in Yerevan has organized a number of events focusing on the global crisis implications for Armenia as part of its work to support comprehensive measures to address the effects of the global crisis.