Another World Economic Forum (WEF) has successfully ended in Davos, Switzerland, and again without Armenia's participation.
On the eve of the forum, which was held under the slogan "Resilient Dynamism" and brought together more than 2,600 people, including 40 heads of governments and states, Armenia's Foreign Ministry issued a statement confirming the country's absence from the influential international event.
The forum, which was first conceived in January 1971 when a group of European business leaders met under the auspices of the European Commission and European industrial associations, is traditionally attended by well-known politicians, businessmen and economists from countries around the globe.
In fact, Armenia's participation at this event is of no significance for the international community, and it would be rather beneficial only for Armenia, not the rest of the world.
Armenia last attended the WEF in 2011. The Armenian government brings up different excuses and statements to explain its unwillingness to join the Davos meeting, citing unwanted expenses or uninteresting issues on the agenda, and saying it would be useless to attend it just for the sake of pro-forma presence.
The Annual Meeting in Davos remains the foremost creative force for engaging leaders in collaborative activities focused on shaping the global, regional and industry agendas.
Armenia is a state facing poverty and an economic crisis, which survives only with the help of foreign donations and humanitarian aid, and this kind of "income" cannot guarantee long-term sustainability of its economy. The investment climate in the country is quite unfavorable and does not attract potential investors.
According to official statistics, the poverty level is about 12 percent in Armenia, but the actual figure amounts to as much as 30 percent. Furthermore, the miserable life of the poor people leads to the spread of crime.
The country's foreign debt increases year on year. The Armenian opposition has persistently warned of the "catastrophic" amount of foreign debt. The accusations were made against government officials during discussions on the state budget where opposition representatives expressed concerns over debt-related troubles in 2013. Particularly, they referred to the $500 million stabilization loan from Russia, the four-year grace period of which is expiring.
The aggravating situation often prompts citizens to emigrate from Armenia in search of a better life. About 2.234 million people left Armenia, while 2.191 million arrived in 2012, according to the state migration body of the country, which has population of less than 3.5 million.
In the last three years five percent or about 160,000 Armenian citizens left the country, while the number of people who did not return to their home country increased by 10 percent. With the given dynamic, it can be assumed that the number of people who stay abroad will be 55,000 per year.
Given the South Caucasus republic's small population, this is a high percentage -- a dangerous demographic situation for Armenia -- and if this trend continues, the country may soon have almost no labor force left. Around two-thirds of the migrants have reportedly gone to Russia, while the rest have moved to the U.S. or Europe.
So, why should Armenia go to Davos with such a poor economic and political profile?
Armenia, which is in economic blockade due to its policy of occupying a part of neighboring Azerbaijan's territory, will hardly be able to extricate itself from the predicament it is facing without abandoning its policy of aggression.
To this end, the presidential election coming up on February 18 could potentially change this miserable picture, but the pre-election anxiety in society rules out this possibility. The flawed election process accompanied by violations of basic human rights every step of the way will hardly allow the Armenian people to express their free will. Therefore, the future of Armenia is still under a question mark, being in the hands of leaders who are not even aware where they should lead their people.
Armenia left out of Davos forum again - AzerNews
On the eve of the forum, which was held under the slogan "Resilient Dynamism" and brought together more than 2,600 people, including 40 heads of governments and states, Armenia's Foreign Ministry issued a statement confirming the country's absence from the influential international event.
The forum, which was first conceived in January 1971 when a group of European business leaders met under the auspices of the European Commission and European industrial associations, is traditionally attended by well-known politicians, businessmen and economists from countries around the globe.
In fact, Armenia's participation at this event is of no significance for the international community, and it would be rather beneficial only for Armenia, not the rest of the world.
Armenia last attended the WEF in 2011. The Armenian government brings up different excuses and statements to explain its unwillingness to join the Davos meeting, citing unwanted expenses or uninteresting issues on the agenda, and saying it would be useless to attend it just for the sake of pro-forma presence.
The Annual Meeting in Davos remains the foremost creative force for engaging leaders in collaborative activities focused on shaping the global, regional and industry agendas.
Armenia is a state facing poverty and an economic crisis, which survives only with the help of foreign donations and humanitarian aid, and this kind of "income" cannot guarantee long-term sustainability of its economy. The investment climate in the country is quite unfavorable and does not attract potential investors.
According to official statistics, the poverty level is about 12 percent in Armenia, but the actual figure amounts to as much as 30 percent. Furthermore, the miserable life of the poor people leads to the spread of crime.
The country's foreign debt increases year on year. The Armenian opposition has persistently warned of the "catastrophic" amount of foreign debt. The accusations were made against government officials during discussions on the state budget where opposition representatives expressed concerns over debt-related troubles in 2013. Particularly, they referred to the $500 million stabilization loan from Russia, the four-year grace period of which is expiring.
The aggravating situation often prompts citizens to emigrate from Armenia in search of a better life. About 2.234 million people left Armenia, while 2.191 million arrived in 2012, according to the state migration body of the country, which has population of less than 3.5 million.
In the last three years five percent or about 160,000 Armenian citizens left the country, while the number of people who did not return to their home country increased by 10 percent. With the given dynamic, it can be assumed that the number of people who stay abroad will be 55,000 per year.
Given the South Caucasus republic's small population, this is a high percentage -- a dangerous demographic situation for Armenia -- and if this trend continues, the country may soon have almost no labor force left. Around two-thirds of the migrants have reportedly gone to Russia, while the rest have moved to the U.S. or Europe.
So, why should Armenia go to Davos with such a poor economic and political profile?
Armenia, which is in economic blockade due to its policy of occupying a part of neighboring Azerbaijan's territory, will hardly be able to extricate itself from the predicament it is facing without abandoning its policy of aggression.
To this end, the presidential election coming up on February 18 could potentially change this miserable picture, but the pre-election anxiety in society rules out this possibility. The flawed election process accompanied by violations of basic human rights every step of the way will hardly allow the Armenian people to express their free will. Therefore, the future of Armenia is still under a question mark, being in the hands of leaders who are not even aware where they should lead their people.
Armenia left out of Davos forum again - AzerNews
