ARMENIAN DRAFTS NEW PROPOSALS FOR MCA
ArmenPress
Feb 9 2005
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 9, ARMENPRESS: Armenian finance and economy minister
Vartan Khachatrian told a news conference today that over 200 proposals
that were drafted last year and presented to the Millennium Challenge
Account (MCA), a new US government assistance scheme representing
a fresh approach to helping low-income countries overcome economic
backwardness, proved to be poorly developed and did not stand the
test of the MCA.
The overall cost of those proposals amounted to $1 billion. He said
the MCA assessed the proposals in terms of how effective they were
to promote a sustainable economic growth, a vital component of the
government’s plan to radically slash the poverty volumes.
Khachatrian said along with major proposals two alternative ones
will be sent to MCA after they are finalized late in February . He
said the proposals will be open for public debates. The minister
said Armenia is ranked highly by international donor organizations
as it meets duly all its commitments. He said that is one of the
reasons why Armenia was one of two former Soviet republics, together
with Georgia, included in the US government assistance program, but
he claimed that Georgia was included because of political motives,
while Armenia for its economic achievements.