YEREVAN, DECEMBER 19, NOYAN TAPAN. By the decision of the Armenian prime minister Serge Sargsian, Gayane Afrikian has been appointed the project manager (executive director) of the National Competitiveness Council established by the government of the RA, NT was informed by the RA Government Information and PR Department. G. Afrikian was born in Yerevan on November 4, 1967. In 1991, she graduated from the Armenian philology department of Yerevan State University, in 1996 - from London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), receiving a degree of Master in economy and politics of the post-Communist transitional countries. In 2005 she graduated from Harvard University with a degree of Master of state governance and management. In 1989-1991, G. Afrikian worked in Estonia where she participated in activities on organization and management of the Armenian Cultural Society and the Sunday Armenian school. In 1991-1995, she was a special correspondent of France Press in Armenia, while in 1996-1998 she worked as a reporter in the "The Independent" and "The Economist Intelligence Unit" magazines in London. In 1998-2000, she headed the newly-opened the Council of Europe Information Office in Yerevan. In 2000-2002, G. Afrikian served as a UN official in Kosovo, being in charge of the regional economic and poliical development strategy's implementation. In 2002-2004, she was a UN official in Afghanistan. In 2005-2006, she was an expert of Harvard's Center for International Affairs, conducting studies on Armenia's national competitiveness and regional cooperation. In 2006-2007, she was the chief advisor to the chairman of the Kazakh government's Sustainable Economic Development Fund. She is a non-party woman.

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