ArmInfo.Armenian goods have a quality mark on the Russian market. On October 15, at the press conference dedicated to the Armenian-Russian industrial exhibition, Russia's Trade Representative in Armenia Andrei Babko said to ArmInfo.
According to him, along with the traditional line of goods, Armenian footwear, textiles, and fishery products began to enter the Russian market. "Armenian cheesecakes began to make their way to the Russian market, they went well, and even began to open their trade missions. When they applied food sanctions against Russia, Armenia became one of the import-substituting countries. You need to understand that the Russian market is huge and Armenian participation is small, but it is in demand because of price and quality. These are canned products and all sorts of juices. The range is quite large. Armenian goods have a quality mark on the Russian market and this bar cannot be lowered, "Babko said stressing that the Russian trade mission in Armenia supports not only Russian exporters, but also Armenian importers, renders serious assistance to representatives of small and medium-sized businesses.
At the same time, he stressed that the Armenian-Russian economic relations, despite external challenges and obstacles, are developing successfully. He recalled that Russia plays a serious role in the economy of Armenia, and 37% (about $ 1.7 billion) of foreign direct investment in the Armenian economy is accounted for by the Russian Federation. Babko also informed that the trade turnover between the countries continues to grow, including thanks to the membership in the Eurasian Economic Union, and data for January-June of this year is already 26% higher than last year.
When asked whether political processes in Armenia had an impact on trade and economic relations, Babko, in particular, said: "Thank God, long before the April events, these connections were already gained, including through various exhibitions, these relations did not affect relations since everything went according to what has already been done, but I will note separately, and this is very important, no political events, especially since we see that at the political level, Armenia and Russia support clear agreements of previous years, that is, changes in the political structure We don't celebrate this, we see, on the contrary, increasing contacts. Another thing is that one cannot deal with some political issues and forget that we need to continue to form and maintain a comfortable investment environment. Of course, some events, "revelations", of course, they do not reflect very well on this background, but, thank God, people have not lost faith and hope, I think that everything will be rebuilt, I think that Armenian politicians should understand what the Armenian economy is, what enterprises work here, and what kind of enterprise it is . Let's not hide that? - These are large companies with Russian capital. Therefore, the policy must be careful in this direction. I call for this ", - concluded Babko.
According to the National Statistical Service of Armenia, foreign trade turnover between Armenia and the Russian Federation increased by 26.1% in 2017 to $ 1.7 billion. In particular, export growth was fixed at 44.6% to $ 541.6 million, while import grew by 19.1% to $ 1.2 million.
In January-April, the volume of commodity turnover between the countries increased by 29.2% to $ 620.6 million. Exports amounted to $ 196.6 million, with an annual increase of 46.9%, and imports - $ 424 million with an increase of 22.3%.
