ArmInfo. Armenia's foreign trade turnover with the EAEU countries in the first half of 2021, compared to the same period of 2020, reached 15.3% growth (from a 0.3% decline a year earlier), exceeding $ 1.1 billion, as evidenced by the final data of the RA Statistical Committee.
According to statistics, the negative balance of Armenia's foreign trade with the EAEU countries in the first half of 2021 amounted to $ 372.7 million, having decreased by 11.7% in y-o-y terms (against growth by 36.3% a year earlier) against the background of export output from 18.2% decline by 35.6% growth with a slowdown in import growth from 8.7% to 7.2%, the absolute value of which reached $ 380.3 million and $ 752.99 million, respectively. The upward trend of Armenia's foreign trade turnover with the EAEU countries was caused by Russia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, and in the direction of Belarus, foreign trade sank. In particular, Armenia's foreign trade turnover with Russia reversed the annual dynamics from 0.4% decline to 16% growth, with Kazakhstan - accelerated growth from 26.4% to 54.6%, with Kyrgyzstan it changed 55.7% decline by 76.9% growth, and with Belarus, on the contrary, reversed the dynamics from 2.3% growth to 11.6% decline.
Russia holds the lead both in terms of the total volume of foreign trade turnover ($ 1.1 billion) and in exports and imports ($ 365.3 million and $ 730.8 million, respectively). Exports with Russia brought the annual dynamics from a 19.1% decline to 36% growth, while import growth slowed down from 9.1% to 8.1%. In the structure of Armenia's foreign trade with the EAEU countries, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan follow in terms of volume after Russia - $ 29.2 million, $ 6.7 million and $ 1.2 million, respectively. The export of Armenian goods to Belarus decreased by 0.8% to $ 8.9 million, and imports in this direction dipped by 15.7% to $ 20.2 million, while a year earlier, exports in this direction increased by 28.1% with less low decline in imports by 4.3%. In the direction of Kazakhstan, exports jumped 2.1 times to $ 4.8 million with a decline in imports by 8.6% to $ 1.9 million, against an upward trend in both cases a year earlier - exports by 8.6% and imports by 53.5%. The export of Armenian goods to Kyrgyzstan increased by 98.6% to $ 1.2 million with a decline in imports by 55.5% to $ 44.1 thousand, while a year earlier a significant increase was observed in imports (by 42.8%) with a more tangible decline in exports (by 59%).
The share of Armenia's foreign trade turnover with the EAEU countries in the total structure of foreign trade amounted to 31.7% in the first half of 2021, against 31.2% in the same period in 2020. Moreover, the share of Russia increased from 30% to 30.7%, Kazakhstan - from 0.1% to 0.2%, and Kyrgyzstan - from 0.02% to 0.03%, and Belarus, on the contrary, decreased from 1,1% to 0.8%. Namely, in the structure of Armenia's foreign trade with the EAEU countries, the share of Russia is 96.7%, Belarus - 2.6%, Kazakhstan - 0.6%, Kyrgyzstan - 0.1%. In total, Armenia's foreign trade turnover in the first half of 2021 amounted to $ 3.6 billion, with an annual growth of 13.4% (against a 10.7% decline a year earlier). In particular, the growth in exports by 23.3% to $ 1.4 billion was accompanied by an increase in imports by 7.9% to $ 2.2 billion, while a year earlier both items were in decline - exports by 6.5% and imports by 12.9 %. As a result, Armenia's negative foreign trade balance slowed down the annual decline from 20.1% to 11%, amounting to $ 812.7 million in the first half of 2021.
