WORLD BANK ROAD FUNDING THREATENS TO UNDERMINE MCC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 YEREVAN 000043 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/21/2019 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL EAID AM SUBJECT: WORLD BANK ROAD FUNDING THREATENS TO UNDERMINE MCC FREEZE Classified By: Ambassador Marie L. Yovanovitch. Reasons 1.4 (b/d) ¶1. This is an action request. Please see para 10. SUMMARY -------------- ¶2. (C) Ambassador advised World Bank Resident Representative Aristomene Varoudakis that a portion of a new World Bank credit facility intended to finance a package of rural roads originally designed by the Millenium Challenge Corporation (MCC) threatens to undermine the USG's message to the GOAM on democracy indicators. While acknowledging USG concerns, it is also not clear that he completely understood them, as he suggested that a "communications strategy" could fix the problem. Post's view is that if the GOAM receives money from alternative funds to build roads, they will quite rightly understand that they do not need to improve their good governance performance. Varoudakis noted that the World Bank program, unlike MCC's, is not under a "good governance" conditionality, and that the Bank has no alternative projects in place to fund during 2009 that would provide comparable economic stimulus. Ambassador plans to discuss this issue with the World Bank Vice President during his visit to Yerevan next week and requests that Washington raise it with Bank management in Washington. End Summary. PLANS TO FINANCE RURAL ROADS -------------- ¶3. (C) Ambassador met January 21 with World Bank Resident Representative Aristomene Varoudakis to discuss the state of the Armenian economy and World Bank plans for upcoming aid and credit packages for Armenia. These could include SME loans of up to USD 250 million, budget support (amount TBD) and small-scale infrastructure projects (USD 35 million) that can be implemented quickly and lead to significant job creation. The largest of these small-scale infrastructure projects is the rehabilitation of rural roads (100km, at a cost of USD 25 million) scheduled to be started and completed in 2009, which the World Bank projects will create 7,500 jobs. The quick construction is due in part to the World Bank's "Fast Track" fund facility and to the availability of road designs that had been funded by MCC; MCC had to drop these roads from its plans after a major appreciation of the Armenian Dram (AMD) over the past four years led to a re-scoping of the MCA-Armenia Program. The GOAM then took over responsibility for them, and sought funding from the �0A;World Bank.(Note: While the MCC funding is a grant, the World Bank funding is a loan. The 100km of roads in question are not part of the network whose funding was suspended by MCC. End Note). UNDERMINING USG'SDEMOCRACY MESSAGE -------------- ¶4. (C) Ambassador expressed serious concern that funding of rural roads would undermine the message sent by the USG when it suspended funding of the MCA-Armenia USD 50 million road rehabilitation package until the GOAM provided more evidence of its commitment to democracy and good governance. She said that in the eyes of the GOAM, getting the money to build roads from the World Bank would prove that Armenia could move forward with construction without committing to reforms. She asked why the World Bank could not focus on other infrastructure programs instead. MCC Resident Country Director suggested that even a delay or reduction in the size of the roads program might be sufficient to signal to the GOAM that donors are serious about the need for political reform in light of the upcoming MCC Board meeting. Ambassador noted that assistance from the World Bank is additionally troubling given that the USG is one of its major funders. There is also a serious problem of optics given that the MCC paid for the technical studies for these roads. ¶5. (C) Varoudakis replied that while he understands USG concerns, the World Bank is likely to go through with this program. He noted that the mandate of the World Bank, like that of MCC, is to reduce poverty but that, unlike MCC, the Bank is not under a political mandate or a "good governance" conditionality. He said that road rehabilitation was a standard World Bank investment in Armenia, and that in this case it was the only significant infrastructure project that could be implemented quickly. The World Bank would not be able to justify to itself or to the GOAM a decision to cancel funding for the 100km road project. He also asserted that even if the World Bank provided funds for some other project, the fungibility of money meant that the GOAM could use the funds to build these roads anyway. ¶6. (C) Attempting to find a resolution, Varoudakis suggested that the World Bank's communications strategy could emphasize that while they are financing these roads, Armenia would YEREVAN 00000043 002 OF 002 derive even greater benefit if it were to resolve its good-governance issues. Ambassador responded that this is too subtle a point, and would be lost on the GOAM. Although Varoudakis said the Bank would take a hard look at the roads project, he also stated it is unlikely that it would be dissuaded from proceeding with it. He noted that the USG has a voting representative on the World Bank Board and offered to have the Ambassador meet with the visiting World Bank delegation (including the Regional Vice President) when they are in Yerevan next week to discuss the proposed financing program with the GOAM. ECONOMIC INDICATORS WORSENING -------------- ¶7. (C) Varoudakis also indicated that while Armenia is not currently in a state of crisis, the global financial crisis shows some troubling signs for Armenia. On January 20 the GOAM reported that 2008 GDP growth was 6.8 percent, half of the 2007 growth rate and well below even late-2008 IMF projections. Varoudakis said fourth-quarter GDP growth must have been zero or even negative, and the IMF now projects 2009 GDP growth of three percent. As Russia's GDP is projected to decline by three percent in 2009, due in part to a collapse in oil prices, the World Bank expects remittances to decline by USD 250 million (about 20 percent) in 2009. On a more encouraging front, Armenian banks remain well-capitalized, and with low public debt (70 percent of GDP),and there is room for borrowing from international financial institutions. During the weekend of January 24-25, the World Bank and GOAM will be negotiating a line of credit (potentially up to 750 million) that would be the first non-concessionary loan to Armenia. They are currently doing stress-testing to see how different withdrawal and default rates might affect Armenia's repayment capacity. ¶8. (C) Varoudakis expressed concern about the Central Bank of Armenia's (CBA) intervention to support the AMD, on which it spent an estimated USD 225 million in the fourth quarter of ¶2008. While he understands GOAM concerns that a declining Dram could undermine public confidence and lead to a market collapse similiar to the early 1990s, the currency is due for an adjustment. He asserted that only importers are helped by an inflated Dram, but with limited competition in many sectors of the Armenian economy, many importers may be able to pass on increased costs from a devalued currency to their customers. Varoudakis also confirmed reports, which we have heard elsewhere, that the GOAM may be negotiating a "soft loan" from Russia that it would use to support the Dram; he warned that this approach is not sustainable. During its visit next week, the WB delegation will make clear that moving away from its support of the AMD will be a condition for obtaining World Bank financing. Unlike the roads package, credits for budget support do come with conditions attached, albeit only with respect to sound management of the economy. COMMENT--AND ACTION REQUEST -------------- ¶9. (C) We are not entirely certain that Varoudakis understands our concerns about the World Bank's funding of the rural roads project. Nonetheless, we appreciate that he is in a difficult position, given that the Bank did not set conditions on its funding at the outset and it would be difficult to impose them now. We also share his (and the World Bank's) goal of relieving poverty, do not seek to reduce the scale of World Bank programs in Armenia, and recognize that funding of these rural roads is one of the most productive uses of World Bank and other donor funds. However, we are troubled that while the MCC's freezing of funding for rural roads is well known even by the Armenian public--to say nothing of the donor community--even the US-supported World Bank did not anticipate how agreeing to support this project could undermine the USG's democracy and good-goverance message. ¶10. (C) The Ambassador will meet with World Bank Regional VP Shigeo Katsu. Ambassador requests that the Department raise this issue with World Bank management in Washington. Moving forward with this program will confirm to the Armenians that they can ignore the agreement with the USG to maintain MCC indicators, because they will be able to find more amenable donors elsewhere. YOVANOVITCH