Pashinyan says industry key driver of growth, highlights high-tech ambitions

Armenian Prime Minister said on Monday that industry remains a key driver of economic growth in Armenia and across the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), highlighting the country's push to expand high-tech manufacturing and innovation.

Speaking at the INNOPROM-2026 international industrial exhibition in Yekaterinburg, Pashinyan said Armenia's industrial output grew 4.7% in 2025 from a year earlier, while production increased 13% in the first four months of 2026 compared with the same period last year. He added that the country's manufacturing sector has doubled over the past nine years.

"One of the key priorities of Armenia's industrial policy is the development of knowledge-intensive industries that drive technological progress," Pashinyan said, citing investments in digitalisation, artificial intelligence and data analytics to improve productivity and boost the production of higher value-added goods.

He said the development of microelectronics, biopharmaceuticals and robotics was increasing demand for scientific research and skilled workers, while helping modernise the country's education system.

Calling industry "one of the driving forces" of the EAEU, Pashinyan said the bloc's financing mechanism for industrial cooperation projects was strengthening competitiveness by encouraging cross-border partnerships. He added that Armenian companies were already participating in several joint industrial projects with partners across the union.

Pashinyan said technological progress should complement, rather than replace, human labour.

"Technologies are meant not to replace people, but to free them from routine work, opening new horizons for intellectual and creative activity," he said.