2 minute read
Currently, only petroleum products—gasoline and diesel fuel—are being imported from Azerbaijan to Armenia, while no products of Armenian origin have yet been exported to Azerbaijan, Armenia’s Minister of Economy, Gevorg Papoyan, said at a press briefing.
“At the moment, only two products of Azerbaijani origin have entered Armenia—gasoline and diesel fuel. There are no [exports of] products of Armenian origin yet. However, the parties have exchanged lists of products: the Azerbaijani side has presented us with a fairly long list, and we have done the same for them. We believe that, over time, the business environment will respond to these opportunities,” said Papoyan when asked on the trade relations.
Papoyan cited the unfamiliarity of the markets with each other, as well as infrastructural and logistical factors, among the reasons.
“First, the markets are still quite unfamiliar to each other: our market to them, and their market to us. This process takes time and, naturally, falls largely within the private sector’s domain. The role of the state is to create conditions—through political agreements, opening roads, launching railway connections, and other measures. A significant portion of these conditions has already been established, but not completely.
For example, there is still no direct railway connection, but work is ongoing in this direction, and it is clear that it will be realized in a few years. This also applies to the launch of TRIPP. In the meantime, other mechanisms may also be used. Or, there may be a direct road connection, but the Azerbaijani side is not yet using our roads—for instance, to transport goods through Armenia to Turkey or vice versa. All of this shows that the process is time-consuming and complex,” concluded Papoyan.