ITALIAN BUSINESMEN INTERESTED IN LAUNCHING SHOES PRODUCTION IN ARMENIA
YEREVAN, FERBUARY 1. ARMINFO. Italian businessmen are interested in
launching a production of shoes in Armenia.
Speaking at a press conference today, Head of the Industrial
Department of the Armenian Ministry for Trade and Economic Development
Meruzhan Hakobyan says that it has become known in the course of the
official visit of an Armenian delegation headed by President Robert
Kocharyan to Rome. According to Hakobyan, during meeting with
business-circles of Italy, several local businessmen even expressed
readiness to invest big funds in construction of a new shoes factory
in Armenia. Hakobyan proposed them investing their funds in the large
shoes factories in Armenia, which were idling for various reasons
(some 20 factories). He says that at present, mainly small shoes
productions operate in Armenia, meanwhile, in the Soviet times, 25
million pares of shoes were produced in the country, 23 million of
them were exported. Businessmen decided to think of the proposal and
visit Armenia within several months.
During a meeting at the Foreign Trade Center in Venice, Italians took
an interest in the prospects of production of office furniture in
Armenia, promising to supply components for it. He adds that the
Customs regime in Armenia is more favorable than in Russia. In this
connection, Armenia could become a bridge for supply of the local
products to Russia. Meanwhile, the most complicated of the transport
problems is activation of the train ferry between the ports Poti
(Georgia) and Caucasus (Russia,) he says.
According to Hakobyan, the commodity turnover of Armenia and Italy
totaled $68 million, including $28 million exports and $39 million
import of Armenian products.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress