Armenia`s minister of economy denies political implications behind Spayka-related situation

ArmInfo. "According to my information, Spayka is having certain problems with Russian law enforcement agencies," Armenian Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan told reporters on September 24. He noted that he was unaware of the specific problems or the volumes involved. "Perhaps there's a tax issue. I don't have more details," the minister said.

However, he dismissed the political nature of the events surrounding Spayka, as he receives ongoing information from the State Revenue Committee on the volume of fruits, vegetables, and other supplies from Armenia to Russia. Furthermore, the minister reported that expensive funds had recently been received from Russia free of charge (Papoyan did not specify what this was). "If political relations between Armenia and Russia weren't at a high level, this would be impossible," Papoyan explained.

As a reminder, since early September, more than 100 trucks from the Armenian company Spayka, which exports and sells fruits and vegetables to Russia, the CIS, and Europe, have been blocked from entering Russia. According to media reports, Russian law enforcement stopped the Armenian vehicles without any official explanation.