Since May, the export of flowers from Armenia, and in June, the export of fruits and vegetables to the Russian market has been limited. From July 27, the export of Armenian dairy products will also be limited. Similar is a decision made The reason, according to the Russian side, is the quality of the products, according to the Federal Veterinary and Phytosanitary Control Service, “Rosselkhoznadzor”.

Is the Russian market no longer in need of Armenian products, is the decision political, is it possible, at some stage, out of self-interest, to open the market again to Armenian producers?

Chairman of the Republican Union of Employers, economist Gagik Makaryani in other words, Russia is one of the unique countries in the world that always overestimates political interest over economic interest.

“Russia is never guided by economic interest in many issues, if it were, it would be possible to remove the restrictions on the import of Armenian products at some stage. The priority for him is political gain, and he has decided to use political leverage against the economic one.

Of course, our products also have problems. We must honestly say that we should not think that the steps of the Russian side are only political and lose our vigilance, think that our products are good, but Russia has made political decisions. Both our cognac and food have problems, fish too, if it were not so, our Food Safety Inspectorate could prove it, take measurements and tell the Russian side that the decision is entirely political.”– 168.amGagik Makaryan said in a conversation with

According to the economist, even if we consider that this decision of Russia is political, this does not mean that it will retreat. After the elections, it not only did not stop the restrictions, but also increased its sanctions.

“When Russia realizes that the goods going from Armenia to Europe are increasing so much that its sanctions lose the value of influence, then maybe it will try to take some steps to make concessions. Or send teams here to come and check, to make sure that everything is in order. Maybe he will attribute all that to him, saying, “Oh, for example, on the way to Europe, you started to improve the standards of your products, we also accept those standards.”

Technical regulations in EAEU, which are similar to EU directives, are written documents with the same force. It’s not that EATM is a market of low-quality goods, it’s just a lower competitive market in terms of competition,” added Gagik Makaryan.

According to the economist, according to the laws, the EAEU is the same as the EU market, just from Armenia, so to speak, they “found a language” with that market by paying bribes, making friends, knowing Russian, the cultures are similar, the Armenians of the Russian Federation play a big role in the matter of intermediaries, etc. However, when Russia began to put a strong emphasis on standards, it saw that many people do not have these standards, or were previously aware of them, but turned a blind eye to this fact.

“Now that market has been occupied by Turkish, Azerbaijani, and Georgian products, it is not that Russia will be very impoverished in terms of harvest. For example, they are already trying to replace Armenian brandy with Azerbaijani or Georgian brandy, or wines, agricultural products. Suffice it to say that until 2000, Turkey supplied 40 percent of EU agricultural products, and now it is more than half.

In other words, we are dealing with a very powerful economy. The same Turkey will and does sell many things to Russia. “Now Russia will oppress its own people, and they will not have many things, but it will not give up its positions,” our interlocutor stressed.

Gagik Makaryan also emphasized that Armenia must work actively to enter the EU market, and it is not the case that many manufacturers will export their products to Europe next year.

“The level of actions that are being taken does not inspire hope that we will have a better situation next year in this regard.

There is one more question here, these risks can also lead to problems related to the field of viticulture”, emphasized Gagik Makaryan.

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