ArmInfo. The European Union has allocated 2.9 million EUR to Armenia to address issues related to Armenian cognac, as stated by RA Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan during the draft state budget debates in the National Assembly on October 27.
According to him, these funds will be used to create a new brand with a new name and to improve quality control for the cognac production. The Minister emphasized that the main objective is to rebrand Armenian cognac as "brandy." Significant work is currently underway to address the issue of its geographical name. "What's important here isn't so much the 2.9 million euros as the EU's willingness to help Armenia navigate this path. We already have a case where the World Bank has expressed its willingness to provide us with $30 million for agricultural development, and the Armenian side has indicated the need for a grant component, the proceeds of which will be used to address the cognac issue. In this case, Armenia is ready to take a loan," the Minister of Economy said.
He added that implementing a geographical indication will prevent anyone from producing Armenian brandy outside of Armenia. The Minister noted that just 10 years ago, French and Italian grape varieties were used in wine production in the country, but now there is a strong preference for producing Areni, Voskehat, and other local wines. The Armenian grape varieties and production locations will also be taken into account when producing brandy.
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