Papoyan: Armenian goods banned from Russian market will be sold in EU
The Ministry of Economy of Armenia has submitted for government consideration a program to support Armenian economic entities aimed at promoting the export of their products to the European Union market.
Armenian Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan made the statement in an interview with journalists, according to Armenpress. The government made the decision against the backdrop of Russian restrictions on imports of many Armenian goods.
Responding to a question about how realistic it is to export Armenian products to the EU given European standards and the quality of Armenian products, the minister said: "It is quite realistic, because our export fruits and vegetables have the Global Gap certificate, which is one of the highest-level certificates. In other words, it is what is sold in European supermarkets. But there are other costs here, for example, transportation expenses. Let me give one example. We grow strawberries using the same technologies, methods and in the same greenhouses as in Europe. What is the difference? The difference is that, for example, a Frenchman buys seedlings from a Dutch farmer, transports them 200 kilometers, plants them, then transports the strawberries another 200 kilometers and sells them. There the costs can be a maximum of 500 dollars. In our case, we have to pay 8,000 dollars to deliver the seedlings here, then another 8,000 dollars to deliver the strawberries to Europe, and we also have to pay customs duties of 8.8-14 percent. At one time they said that we were joining the EAEU because our fruits and vegetables only go to Russia. Now this is not the case, these standards are already the highest in the EAEU, the highest in the EU, and our products meet these highest standards. Now the issues of transportation remain; today we submitted to the government a program of compensations on this matter; we will subsidize our agricultural exporters so that they can offer competitive prices on the European market."
The minister emphasized that the government plans to spend a lot of money on this support program so that enterprises do not suffer. "We will provide support in very large amounts; we have calculated compensation costs for each product category. For example, in the case of flowers by the end of the year — 5.5 million dollars, in the case of tomatoes — 3.5 million dollars, in the case of peppers — 3.5 million dollars," the minister said. Answering a question about which EU countries Armenian business structures will be able to export goods to, Papoyan replied: "To all European countries, starting from Greece and ending with Germany." Speaking about Russia's application of import restrictions on various Armenian goods, the Armenian economy minister reported that his deputy met with Russian colleagues in Astana. According to Papoyan, the atmosphere is very positive and everyone wants to solve the problems. The minister expressed confidence that after the parliamentary elections in Armenia on June 7, the Armenian side will quickly resolve all these issues.
Rosselkhoznadzor announced the introduction of temporary restrictions on imports of sweet cherries, cherries, apricots, plums, peaches, nectarines and grapes from Armenia starting June 2, 2026. The Russian agency justified the decision by violations of phytosanitary requirements and an increase in the number of violations recorded during deliveries of Armenian products. Previously, Russia also restricted imports of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and strawberries from Armenia. Currently, imports of flowers, fish products, certain alcoholic beverages and the mineral water "Jermuk" from Armenia to Russia are prohibited.
