ArmInfo. Armenia is working closely with the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) to develop a unified digital platform designed to simplify the participation of companies in public procurement markets across the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), as stated by Armenian Deputy Minister of Finance Hakob Avagyan in an interview with Armenian journalists.
"Within the EAEU, we are working with the Eurasian Economic Commission to create a digital platform. Although the system should seemingly function and Armenian companies should have appropriate access to all markets, we, for example, unilaterally granted such access to everyone. However, unfortunately, there are certain rules that limit the participation of Armenian companies, and not only Armenian ones, in various public procurement markets. We are currently working together with the Eurasian Economic Commission to develop this platform," the Armenian official said on the sidelines of the annual meeting and business forum marking the 20th anniversary of the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) in Almaty.
"Within the EAEU framework, we are collaborating with the EEC on this digital platform," Avagyan explained. "While the system is intended to provide Armenian companies with seamless access to all EAEU markets—and, for our part, we have unilaterally granted such access to others—there are currently specific regulations that limit the participation of Armenian companies, and not only Armenian ones, in various public procurement markets."
According to the Deputy Minister, the proposed platform would function similarly to systems used in the European Union. Rather than serving as a single, centralized website, it will act as a unified system that aggregates procurement notices from various national platforms, enabling organizations to easily participate in tenders across the member states. Avagyan is confident that the most important thing here is that this doesn't depend solely on Armenia. Each country must trust this platform, and information must be transmitted through this single, reliable system.
"There are other projects, but perhaps the main area that will allow for the development of public procurement within the EAEU as a single space is the existence of such a platform. This also includes the mutual recognition of electronic signatures and bank guarantees. We continue to unilaterally recognize these mechanisms, adhering to the fundamental principles of the EAEU, which prioritizes ensuring market access," Avagyan added. "However, technical barriers remain—such as instances where one country, for various reasons, does not accept the digital signature of another. I am aware that our colleagues are actively working to eliminate these technical limitations," the Deputy Finance Minister said
