YEREVAN, JANUARY 19, NOYAN TAPAN. Issues related to Armenian banks' guarantees for commercial deals to be concluded between companies of the Slovak Republic and Armenia were discussed at the January 18 round table at the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA). The CBA deputy chairman Vache Gabrielian, heads of Ardshininvestbank, Anelik Bank, Prometey Bank, Areximbank, Armbusinessbank, Unibank and Cascade Bank participated from the Armenian side in the event initiated by businessman Ashot Grigorian, the head of Armenian community of Slovakia. The Slovakian side was represented the first deputy minister Peter Kazimir, the chairman of the Committee for Economic Issues of the National Council Marosh Kondrot, the chairman of Eximbank Igor Likhnovsky, the chairman of VUE company Ferenz Milan and the chairman of ABC Klima company Peter Pokhaba. Peter Kazimir said that Slovakia and Armenia are small countries and have similarities in the transitional stages of their economic development, which facilitates the cooperation of the sides. The chairman of Eximbank expressed a wish that in parallel with maintaining its development rates, Armenia would rise from 6th to 5th and higher zones on the investment riskiness scale established by the European UNion. Members of the Slovakian delegation responded to questions of representatives of Armenian banks regarding issues of cooperation between the sides. In the opinion of the Slovakian side, although Armenia is included in the 6th zone according to the EU's investment riskiness classification, Armenian businessmen have the opportunity to use credits of Slovakian banks. At the press conference finalizing the results of the 5th Armenia-Artsakh-Slovakia business forum held in Yerevan on October 19-20, 2007, A. Grigorian said that during the forum Eximbank expressed a willingness to insure Slovakian-Armenian commercial deals' crediting of a total of over 50 million USD for 15 years by VUB and CSOB banks of the Slovak Republic. A number of Armenian banks expressed a willingness to give financial guarantees of up to 3% for deals to be concluded between various companies of Armenia and Slovakia, as well as those of Artsakh and Slovakia. The organizers of the above mentioned business forum were the Armenian Development Agency, the Development and Investment Agency of Slovakia, the Armenian community of Slovakia. Representatives of Slovakian VUE and ABC Klima companies have come to Armenia with the aim of completing the negotiations on conclusion of deals with their Armenian partners. The Slovakian delegation will discuss issues of cooperation with representatives of some NKR companies on January 19.

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