Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan has said that the Ministry of Economy has submitted several programs aimed at supporting exports to the European Union and the Middle East, commenting on recent Russian restrictions affecting imports of certain Armenian products.
“In other words, we are talking about compensation for transportation costs, customs duties and, in some cases, expenses related to information technology. It is true that exports to the European Union have already doubled, but we are becoming even more aggressive and aim to quadruple or quintuple them by the end of the year. This applies to fruits and vegetables, processed industrial products — everything,” Papoyan said, according to Factor.am .
Asked about the reasons behind Russia’s restrictions, the minister said the issues are primarily technical in nature.
“These are working-level issues, technical matters. Overall, there is no major problem,” he said.
Papoyan added that the Ministry of Economy is not the main body responsible for handling the matter.
“The Food Safety Inspection Body is working with its counterpart, Rosselkhoznadzor. More broadly, one of my deputies was recently in Russia and met with Russian colleagues. The atmosphere is very positive, and all sides are inclined to resolve the issue. I believe that very quickly after the elections we will find solutions to these matters,” the minister said.
On May 28, Rosselkhoznadzor announced that it would restrict imports of fruits and vegetables from Armenia starting May 30. The agency stated that agricultural products exported from Armenia had recently failed to meet Russian requirements.
Rosselkhoznadzor also temporarily restricted flower imports from Armenia beginning on May 22.
