YEREVAN (ArmenPress) - More than seventy leading Armenian businessmen were invited to the Government Reception House on December 27 to meet with President Robert Kocharian.

According to the presidential press office, Kocharian said, in receiving the businessmen, that these kinds of meetings were becoming traditional. He said the main goal of the meeting was to hear from the businessmen what they thought about the government's economic policy, which, as he said, would enable to more correctly evaluate the current economic situation.

Kocharian was quoted by his press office as saying that "the government must do everything in its power to make the rules of the game and next year's programs more clear and specific to the businessmen, which will enable you to make correct calculations to embark on a profitable activity. The more profitable the business is, the richer the country will be and the people's life will be better," Kocharian stressed.

Summing up the economic results of the outgoing year, President Kocharian said that the end of the year was more promising than its beginning. Kocharian said a 5% growth of gross domestic product was reported in the first eleven months of the year 2000 in comparison with 1999. Kocharian said that, if it were not for the severe drought that hit the country's agriculture last summer, the growth indices in this sector would have been much higher. There has also been a major increase in construction volume, with a 20% growth reported in this sector this year.

Kocharian said a lot of work had been done in the disaster zone. Next year the volume is expected to double there. A seven-percent growth was also reported in the industrial sector and a 123-percent growth in export volume, which Kocharian described as "interesting." Kocharian stressed that serious changes were made in the export structure: thus, a couple of years ago, the biggest share in the export volume was scrap metal and precious stones, while, this year, the biggest share was finished products.

Kocharian noted that, according to most "modest" calculations, about 12,000 new jobs were created in Armenia in 2000. Kocharian emphasized another important factor in the economic development: three years ago, sixty percent of budget entries involved customs duties while 40 percent were taxes. Now the correlation has changed in favor of taxes. Kocharian also said that a 25% growth was reported in investments and the credit resources volume has nearly doubled.

President Kocharian expressed hope that the reported positive tendencies would continue in the new year as well. He said that, with respect to loan resources, there would be wider possibilities.

Kocharian reiterated that, without maintaining political stability in the country, all the economic plans were doomed to failure, noting meanwhile that there were no serious resources for destabilization. Kocharian once again stressed that all governmental officials trying to make obstacles to businessmen would be punished.

Kocharian gave special importance to reforms in the legal and judicial sectors, underlining that they created serous guarantees for protection of businesses in Armenia.

The meeting participants came in with various proposals and suggestions. They said they were optimistic about the economic possibilities and had great expectations for the next year.

Kocharian said that the government has to take into account the taxpayers' opinions. He said that only in an atmosphere of reciprocal confidence and the government's proper attitude to business would it be possible to reinvigorate the business activities and promote the country's prosperity.

Concluding the meeting, President Kocharian said all the issues raised would be carefully studied. Kocharian also proposed that the businessmen join forces and help restore the disaster zone.