Head of the Food Safety Inspectorate of Armenia Tigran Petrosyan met with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Trade Representative at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara Rishan Choudhri, senior USDA specialist at the U.S. Embassy in Georgia Demna Dzirqvadze, and USDA official Ben Cairney, who manages assistance projects for Armenia and Georgia from Washington.
During the meeting, the sides discussed issues related to the export of agricultural products from Armenia to the United States, particularly products of veterinary and phytosanitary origin, as well as initiatives aimed at developing laboratory capacities, digitalizing systems, and ensuring product traceability.
Rishan Choudhri emphasized that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is ready to support Armenia’s Food Safety Inspectorate in addressing existing and potential challenges in these areas.
Food Safety Inspectorate head Tigran Petrosyan informed the guests that Armenia has begun preparatory work to join the ePhyto program and that the system is planned to be launched in 2026, which will significantly facilitate the export process of Armenian agricultural products to the United States.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the parties agreed to deepen cooperation between the authorized bodies of the two countries, which is expected to contribute to diversified market development and the expansion of export opportunities.
