ArmInfo. "We communicate with our cargo carriers on a daily basis, and the problem is not so serious; companies can adapt to new requirements," Armenian Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan stated during government hour in Parliament, answering a question about the situation in Upper Lars in view of Georgia's new requirements regarding restrictions on the number of tanks on vehicles. He emphasized in this regard that, of course, manufacturers are unhappy, but there are solutions.
"You know that standards change in different countries, new conditions are put forward. But now we are more stimulating the entry of our manufacturers into other markets. To achieve this, we actively participate in various international exhibitions. And we are directing more efforts to ensure that companies can sell their products in the markets of several countries at once," the minister said.
Kerobyan also did not agree with the deputy's thesis that such restrictions could hit the Armenian economy. In this regard, he, referring to statistical data, noted that at the end of 2023, Armenia's foreign trade turnover increased by more than 46%. "This shows that your statement is incorrect," he said.
According to the RA Statistics Committee, Armenia's foreign trade turnover at the end of 2023 exceeded $20.7 billion, with growth slowing to 46% (from 68.6% in 2022). In particular, a slowdown in volume growth rates was observed both for exports - from 77.7% to 55.3% to $5.4 billion, and for imports - from 63.5% to 40.2%, the absolute value of which amounted to $8.4 billion and $12.3 billion. As a result, the negative balance of foreign trade of Armenia for 2023, having slowed down from 47.8% to 14.7%, reached $3.9 billion
