YEREVAN, August 30. /ARKA/. The governor of northwestern Armenian province of Shirak Harut Khachatryan and CEO of ACBA-CREDIT AGRICOLE BANK CJSC Hakob Andreasyan signed today a Memorandum of Cooperation, the bank's press service reported.

It said under the agreement, the parties will unite their efforts with the goal of developing SMEs, improving the welfare of local communities and stimulating tourism in the province.
ACBA-CREDIT AGRICOLE BANK will conduct free business trainings in the province, while the provincial administration will assist the bank in identifying and targeting possible beneficiaries of the trainings.

"Today is a beautiful day, as the government and the private sector, in a spirit of cooperation, have joined forces to develop small and medium-sized businesses in the Shirak region," Khachatryan said.
He expressed confidence that representatives of enterprises that will take part in the trainings will give new breath and energy to businesses in the region.

"As a result of cooperation, the efficiency of enterprises and their management skills will improve, turnover and profit will increase, companies will have more employees and they will become socially more responsible," he stressed.

Andreasyan, in his turn, noted that ACBA-CREDIT AGRICOLE BANK has been conducting business trainings for representatives of SME for about four years already, passing both its experience accumulated for 20 years and the best international experience.

"Trainings include courses on business management, marketing and hotel business," he said.
However, according to Andreasyan, this cooperation is special, as it demonstrates the state's interest in promoting small and medium-sized businesses.

"Our specialists have already conducted trainings in Lori, Armavir, Syunik, and also in Shirak region, and we will continue to expand the geography of our courses," he explained.

In this regard, Andreasyan stressed that recently the International Finance Corporation (IFC Business Edge) awarded the bank's courses certificates, which once again demonstrates the high professionalism of its team.

The bank said that on September 26-27 free trainings on hotel business will be conducted in the province.
ACBA was established in 1996 as part of EU’s TACIS program. As a result of a long-term and mutually beneficial cooperation between ACBA Bank and the French Credit Agricole the latter became the biggest shareholder of ACBA in 2006, September. ACBA was restructured, becoming a closed joint stock company and was renamed ACBA CREDIT AGRICOLE BANK. -0-