Armenia ranks 52nd in Enabling Trade IndexMay 19, 2010 - 20:14 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia ranks 52nd in the Enabling Trade Index, very high customs rates being the country’s most vulnerable index, according to the World Economic Forum. Singapore and Hong Kong are the countries most open to trade. They are followed by Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland, with New Zealand climbing five places since last year to take No 6 ranking, said the Swiss-based forum, which organizes the annual meeting of business executives and politicians in Davos. Among the large economies, Germany is the best performer at 13th, ahead of the United States, which drops by three places to 19th. China (48th) and Brazil (87th) remain stable, while Turkey (62nd), India (84th) and Russia (114th) drop in the ranking. The index measures institutions, policies and services facilitating the free flow of goods over borders and to destinations, looking at market access, border administration, transport and communications, and business environment. It combines data from public sources and a survey of business executives, working particularly closely with companies in the logistics and transport sectors. Top stories Yerevan has dismissed Turkey’s demand to shut down the Armenian nuclear power plant as “inappropriate”. Armenia will loan 2.9 billion drams to Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh), according to a draft government decision. The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan has “strongly condemned” Armenia’s decision. Kerobyan has said that for the first time in the history of Armenia, the volume of foreign direct investments amounted to about $1 billion. Partner news | Putin congratulates Pashinyan’s birthday Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on his birthday on June 1. Opposition motorcade en route to Gyumri for large rally A motorcade of protesters headed by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan is heading to the city of Gyumri. Ruling MPs, Foreign Minister talk Armenia-Azerbaijan processes MOs from the ruling Civil Contract party met with the Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in the Armenian parliament. Russia: Armenia’s frozen membership weakens CSTO position in Caucasus A Russian envoy said any step that could alienate the CSTO member states from each other is “deeply wrong”. |