YEREVAN, April 28. /ARKA/. About $730 million of unknown origin has come to Armenia from offshore zones, Heghine Bisharyan, head of Orinats Yerkir party’s faction in the National Assembly, said Wednesday at a Q&A session in the parliament.
Remarkable is that in 2013, compared with the previous year, foreign investments in Armenia dwindled 20%, while the investment inflow from offshore zones intensified – it grew from $56 million in 2012 to $121 million in 2013.
In particular, $127 million has come from Cyprus, $97 million from Switzerland, $86 million from Luxemburg, $56 million from Lichtenstein $33 from Virgin Islands, $24 million from Panama and another $450 million from unidentified places.
«There is nothing surprising in international organizations’ statements that about $9.8 billion has been taken out of Armenia, and according to the latest figures more than AMD 1 trillion has been invested in our economy as of January 2016,» she said.
Many organizations, particularly mining companies, are registered in offshore zones.
Bisharyan asked Vache Gabrielyan, Armenia’s vice premier and international integration and reforms minister, is it known how many Armenian officials keep their money in offshore zones and what measures would be taken to return the financial resources stolen from Armenia’s people.
In response, the Armenian official said that if the money inflow from offshore zones is stopped, it will create additional obstacle for attracting new investors.
As the best example to follow, the official pointed out Russia, whose biggest investor was Cyprus long years.
Speaking about Armenia’s mining, he said that there are offshore companies in this industry, but in his opinion, their financial transactions are not suspicious. In his words, these companies’ shareholders provide transparent accounts.
The official also said that it is absolutely impossible to find out that their financial resources have been taken from Armenia and invested here.
According to the National Statistical Service of Armenia, about AMD 123.6 billion came to Armenia in 2015 as net foreign investments received not through banks and without state administration against AMD 167.4 billion in 2014. ($1 – AMD 479.38). –0—
