16th December 2025
29th Session of the SME Development Council led by the Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Khachatryan
Other
Council Meetings
On December 16, the 29th meeting of the SME Development Council was held under the chairmanship of Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Khachatryan.
During the meeting, the draft Strategic Program for Entrepreneurship Development in Armenia for 2026–2030 was discussed. The draft had previously been reviewed at the 34th meeting of the SME Development Sub-Council, during which Council members presented their observations and recommendations. Based on the feedback received, the draft was revised and submitted for discussion at the December 16 meeting of the SME Development Council.
At the beginning of the meeting, Sevak Hovhannisyan, a representative of the consulting company Civitta, which developed the draft strategy, delivered a detailed presentation. This was followed by suggestions from members of the SME Development Council, who shared their positions and raised questions and proposals regarding the draft. In particular, remarks were delivered by Hakob Avagyan, President of the SME Cooperation Association; Sargis Karapetyan, CEO of the Union of Advanced Technology Enterprises; and Haykaz Fanyan, Director of the Armenian Center for Socio-Economic Studies. The concluding remarks were delivered by Minister of Economy of the Republic of Armenia, Gevorg Papoyan.
One of the key issues raised during the discussion concerned the institution responsible for implementing the strategy. In this context, two possible implementation models were discussed. The first model focuses on establishing separate workstreams within the Enterprise Armenia, developing the necessary capacities and appointing an appropriate director and governing board. The second model proposes the creation of a new public–private partnership structure, with the participation of business associations, whereby small and medium-sized enterprises would have the opportunity to contribute to the financing of the entity through these associations. It was noted that the financial contribution of the business sector would be limited at the initial stage, with the state providing the primary funding, while in subsequent years the entity would become predominantly privately financed.
Summarizing the meeting and thanking all participants, Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Khachatryan emphasized the importance of the proposals put forward and suggested continuing the comparative discussion of the proposed models and selecting the preferred option at the next meeting, scheduled for January, encouraging participants to develop their positions on the proposed models in the interim. At the next stage, a final approach to the strategy’s implementation model is expected to be formed, after which further steps will focus on the approval and implementation of the strategic program.
The project has been revised under the “Building Sustainable Apparel and Agribusiness Value Chains in Armenia” project, funded by the European Union and implemented by the International Trade Centre (ITC).