On December 12, ISET Policy Institute hosted a roundtable discussion of joint research of Armenian and Georgian economists on ‘Diverging integration paths of Armenia and Georgia: consequences for export sophistication and diversification’.

The research was jointly presented by Giorgi Papava, Lead Economist of the ISET Policy Institute, and Vardan Baghdasaryan, Associate Professor of the American University of Armenia.

The research aimed to evaluate the impact of the major economic integration decisions taken by Armenia and Georgia on their export characteristics. Having a similar background and demonstrating comparable economic outcomes, the two countries made diverging choices in 2013-2014. While Georgia signed a trade facilitation agreement with the EU, Armenia chose integration into the Eurasian Economic Union. Results suggest a limited positive contribution towards improving Georgia’s export sophistication and export product diversification levels since 2015. No clearly defined changes are observed in the case of Armenia.

The presentation was followed by commentaries and open discussions involving participants.