The agreement would expand the UAE’s commitments to 122 service subsectors and Armenia’s to 127. Papoyan outlined the terms during parliamentary debate and urged lawmakers to approve ratification.
Armenia’s Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan told lawmakers that the services and investment agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) would add commitments covering 90 service subsectors on the UAE side and 25 on Armenia’s. He presented the figures during parliament’s debate on ratification, in remarks covered on October 28 by Armenpress.
Papoyan and Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, the UAE’s foreign trade minister, signed the agreement in Abu Dhabi on February 5, 2026. It provides for removing mutual barriers to trade in services and investment, Papoyan said, giving businesses opportunities to enter each other’s markets.
Papoyan compared the agreement with each country’s existing commitments under the World Trade Organization. The figures count service subsectors—categories within the services industry—covered by those commitments.
| Country offering access | Existing WTO commitments | Additional commitments | Total under agreement |
|---|---|---|---|
| UAE | 32 | 90 | 122 |
| Armenia | 102 | 25 | 127 |
The pact would give Armenian service providers preferential access in the United Arab Emirates, with reciprocal commitments for Emirati suppliers in Armenia.
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Papoyan described the exchange as favorable to Armenia because it received more additional commitments than it offered. He said a substantial share of the 122 subsectors covered by the UAE’s commitments overlapped with sectors Armenia had already liberalized.
Papoyan identified computer and information technology services, scientific and technical consulting, equipment maintenance and repair, cartography, education, healthcare and postal services among the newly covered subsectors.
An earlier account by Public Radio of Armenia described the commitments in each direction:
The UAE would retain restrictions on foreign participation in certain sectors, Papoyan said. Some service subsectors would allow permitted foreign participation to increase gradually.
Papoyan also said provisions promoting and mutually protecting investment were expected to encourage new business initiatives.
Armenia’s government approved the ratification bill before it reached parliament. The parliamentary Standing Committee on Economic Affairs endorsed the draft on October 21, 2026, the National Assembly’s press service said.
The agreement is before parliament for ratification. Papoyan closed his presentation by urging lawmakers to vote in favor.
