Armenia to support exporters hit by Russian import restrictions, says Pashinyan

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has announced that the government will introduce support programmes for businesses affected by Russia’s recent ban on a range of Armenian goods, which Moscow has justified on the grounds of alleged phytosanitary violations.

Speaking at a campaign event for the Civil Contract party in Lchashen village in the Gegharkunik region on June 2, Pashinyan said the government would intervene in cases where exporters face what he described as “unfair barriers," Caliber.Az reports via Armenian media. 

“The government has already decided that in all cases where there are unfair barriers to exports, we will implement support programmes and subsidy programmes for those goods so that there are no losers in our economy,” he said.

He added that assistance would apply when trade restrictions are not related to product quality issues, noting that in some cases exported goods may indeed fail to meet required standards.

Pashinyan also stressed the importance of diversifying export markets, saying Armenia should not rely on a single trading direction. He pointed to ongoing discussions with foreign buyers and business delegations exploring opportunities for Armenian agricultural exports.

“The volume of agricultural products from Armenia is not very large, and in this case that’s a good thing—a single decent European supermarket chain is capable of selling all of these products,” Pashinyan asserted.

He also said that after upcoming elections he plans to revisit issues related to Armenia’s participation and challenges within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

By Sabina Mammadli