BSTDB Forum “Armenia - Accelerating Regional Success” Held in Yerevan
Advancing Regional Integration and Economic Resilience through High-Level Dialogue
Regional cooperation and economic resilience took center stage in Yerevan as the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank (BSTDB) hosted the high-level Business Forum “Armenia – Accelerating Regional Success” under the High Patronage of the President of the Republic of Armenia, H.E. Mr. Vahagn Khachaturyan.
Bringing together senior government officials, business leaders, and international financial institutions, the Forum offered a platform to explore how targeted investment, cross-border collaboration, and multilateral partnerships can strengthen the growth prospects of smaller economies in the Black Sea Region.
Held in the margins of BSTDB’s Annual Meeting, the Forum opened with a welcome address by Ambassador-at-Large Artur Javadyan, Chairman of the Board of the Centre for Economic Perspectives Foundation and BSTDB Governor for Armenia. In his inaugural remarks, President Vahagn Khachaturyan emphasized Armenia’s commitment to inclusive and sustainable development, positioning the country as a vital player in advancing regional cooperation. Dr. Serhat Köksal, President of BSTDB, followed with an opening statement highlighting the Bank’s growing footprint in Armenia and its role in unlocking economic potential across the region.
The first panel discussion, titled “Supporting Resilience: International Synergies for Smaller Economies,” was moderated by Panayotis Gavras, Director for Policy and Strategy at BSTDB. The conversation brought together Martin Galstyan, Governor of the Central Bank of Armenia, and Avag Avanesyan, Deputy Minister of Finance of Armenia, who shared insights into the country’s financial landscape and policy priorities. They were joined by Ambassador Lazar Comanescu, Secretary General of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, who spoke on the role of regional institutions in fostering economic stability, and Koba Gvenetadze, the IMF’s Resident Representative in Uzbekistan, who contributed an international perspective on resilience-building in smaller economies.
The second session, “Partnering with BSTDB: Insights and Experiences,” was moderated by David Nahapetyan, Board Member of the Central Bank of Armenia. The panel featured Edmond Vardumyan, CEO of the National Mortgage Company, who spoke about BSTDB’s innovative solutions for advancing Armenia’s housing sector. Leonid Sidorenko, BSTDB’s Director for General Industries, and Larisa Manastirli, the Bank’s Director for Financial Institutions, offered perspectives from within the Bank, focusing on how BSTDB tailors its financing to meet diverse partner needs. Daniel Azatyan, Chairman of the Union of Banks of Armenia, emphasized the importance of long-term collaboration between BSTDB and the Armenian banking sector.
The Forum concluded with a series of signing ceremonies, with local clients, namely ARMECONOMBANK, DICA, Inecobank and SAS Group, reinforcing BSTDB’s strong partnership with Armenia and its broader commitment to accelerating economic success in the region.
The Black Sea Trade and Development Bank (BSTDB) is an international financial institution established by Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Türkiye, and Ukraine. The BSTDB headquarters are in Thessaloniki, Greece. BSTDB supports economic development and regional cooperation by providing loans, credit lines, equity and guarantees for projects and trade financing in the public and private sectors in its member countries. The authorized capital of the Bank is EUR 3.45 billion. For information on BSTDB, visit www.bstdb.org.
Contact: Haroula Christodoulou
: @BSTDB
