UITE head complains of US embassy for denying entry visas

YEREVAN, October 29. / ARKA /. Karen Vardanyan, the executive director of the Union of Information Technology Enterprises (UITE), complained today of the U.S. embassy in Armenia for its refusal to grant entry visas to Armenian ICT engineers saying it is a serious obstacle to local ICT companies progress.

"A few days ago we sent a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, the government, Armenian lobby organizations. We came out with a statement. If the problem is not solved, we will act more actively,” said Vardanyan at a press conference on Wednesday.

According to him, the US is the main partner of Armenia-based ICT companies, which along with Canada account for about 60% of local companies’ exports and nearly half of the companies operating in this field are by founded U.S.-based ethnic Armenians.

"We are working with serious American companies, and when a specialist needs to visit the United States, and denied an entry visa that disrupts the entire production chain. This practice may force these companies to withdraw from Armenia ", said Vardanyan, adding that the denial of visas is not explained by the U.S. embassy.

The Union of Information Technology Enterprises of Armenia (UITE) was founded in 2000 to protect the economic interests of ICT companies, promote business development, and encourage research in the field of IT. -0-

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18:14 10/29/2014