Armenia Ratifies Services and Investment Agreement With the UAE

Armenia's National Assembly on 28 October ratified the Agreement on Trade in Services and Investments between the governments of Armenia and the United Arab Emirates, by 97 votes to 0 with one abstention, ARKA reported. Under the agreement, the UAE opens 122 service subsectors to Armenian companies, up from 32 under its World Trade Organization commitments.

Armenia in turn raises its own commitments by 25 subsectors, from 102 to 127. "The UAE has given us 90 new subsectors, while we have offered 25 new subsectors," Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan told lawmakers during the debate, according to Armenpress.

What opens up

The newly covered UAE sectors include computer and information technology services, scientific and technical consulting, equipment maintenance and repair, cartography, telecommunications, education, healthcare and postal services. In some sectors the permitted share of foreign ownership will rise gradually, according to ARKA.

Armenia's new commitments open additional opportunities for UAE companies in agriculture and forestry services, engineering, scientific and technical consulting, healthcare, education, environmental protection and postal services. The agreement also covers market access for services, investment, commercial presence, procedural transparency and dispute resolution. Its stated aims are to liberalize trade in services and investment, remove mutual barriers and improve the business environment.

Wider access does not remove all restrictions. Existing sectoral restrictions and exceptions remain in place, and the UAE keeps limits on foreign participation in some sectors, Armenpress reported.

Support across factions

Papoyan presented the ratification bill and answered deputies' questions, and Volodya Hakobyan presented the positive conclusion of the Standing Committee on Economic Issues, Noyan Tapan reported. Narek Karapetyan, leader of the Strong Armenia faction, called the agreement acceptable and positive for economic integration. Arthur Khachatryan, secretary of the Armenia faction, stressed the importance of diversifying foreign trade. Babken Tunyan, chairman of the Standing Committee on Economic Issues, speaking for the Civil Contract faction, addressed export and import statistics and the export deficit.

Signed in Abu Dhabi in February

The agreement was signed in Abu Dhabi on 5 February 2026 by Papoyan and Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Foreign Trade of the UAE, in the presence of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Office of the Prime Minister of Armenia said at the time. It was negotiated alongside talks on an economic partnership agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the UAE.

Trade between the two countries has been volatile. Armenia-UAE trade turnover was $2.13 billion in 2025, 60% lower than in 2024, according to Armstat data cited by ARKA when the agreement was signed.

What it means for business

For Armenian firms, the main gains are in services such as IT and technical consulting, where the UAE now takes on commitments it did not have under its WTO schedule. For UAE investors, the treaty adds investment protection and dispute resolution provisions to a bilateral relationship that Papoyan said would bring wider business opportunities and economic cooperation.

The vote came on the same day that parliament ratified the TRIPP framework agreement with the United States, by a far narrower margin. Both decisions widen Armenia's economic partners at a time when four EAEU members have estimated the cost to Armenia of a suspension of the union treaty. The services agreement with the UAE passed with no votes against.