Armenian Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan spoke to reporters at the National Assembly of Armenia on December 18, discussing recent economic challenges. 

He announced a significant increase in diamond exports, attributing it to good work. He also discussed recent challenges faced by Armenian trucks at the Upper Lars checkpoint on the Georgian-Russian border. According to the minister, the issues related to legal regulations have been addressed and resolved for the time being.

“At the moment, there is a [winter] weather problem. But because the capacity has been considerably expanded [at this checkpoint], these are short-term problems and will not have a particular impact on our trade regime,” Kerobyan said.

Regarding the closure of the Upper Lars checkpoint for Armenian trucks and whether it had a political context, Vahan Kerobyan responded by stating that he could not confirm a political context. He emphasized the importance of ensuring that Armenian products meet high standards to access various markets and avoid dependence on any specific country’s market.

In response to a question about the resolution of issues related to the export standards of goods, the Armenian Economy Minister stated that while the problems have not been fully addressed, significant steps have been taken. He mentioned the implementation of stricter inspections for exported agricultural products at the border, a change that was not mandatory before. The minister highlighted comprehensive legislative reforms undertaken in collaboration with European partners this year. The goal is to align Armenia’s quality infrastructure with European Regulation 765 and relevant regulations of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). The objective is to enhance the quality standards of Armenian products for compliance with international norms.

Regarding whether the Armenian products are currently being exported to Russia, Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan stated, “These agricultural products are produced every day. The working style and the work processes have also changed to export products of a higher standard.”

Furthermore, the minister shared positive economic news, noting that a substantial increase of 41 percent was recorded in Armenia’s trade with other member countries of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). He anticipates that the positive trend of increased trade with other EAEU member countries will also be sustained in the coming years.

“The [Armenian] government is launching steps to diversify foreign economic activity. In particular, by intensifying the circulation of goods in no less important other directions,” added the Armenian official.