YEREVAN, DECEMBER 25, NOYAN TAPAN. In 2006, production of small and medium enterprises will make 40% of Armenian GDP against 39.8% last year, and the SMEs will make 17% of the export against 16.4% last year. Ishkhan Karapetian, Executive Director of the SME Development National Center (DNA), stated this during the December 25 press conference. According to him, in 2006, about 11 thousand new SMEs were registered, in which over 20.5 thousand jobs were created (52.8% of them - in marzes). According to I. Karapetian forecasts, in late 2006, the SME development index calculated by UN methodology will reach 240 against 179.1 in 2005. He also noted that in 2006, within the framework of technical and advisory assistance envisaged by the annual program on SME state assistance, the SME DNC provided to start-up and operating SMEs the necessary tachnical and advisory assistance for external economic activity, purchase of conveyer lines and equipment, introduction of new technologies, search of partners, attraction and management of financial resources, protection of intellectual property, licensing, standardization, conformity certification, development of business and investment programs, accounting, presentation of customs reports. 350 mln drams (about 832 thousand USD) was allocated from the state budget for implementation of the annual program, and 110 mln drams was attracated thanks to cooperation of international and foreign organizations and local self-government bodies. In the period under review, 4,684 start-up and operating SMEs (98.3% of them in Yerevan) received information and advisory assistance.

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