The agreement on forming a free trade zone between Iran and the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) derives from Armenia’s interests. And the local products cannot yield to goods which are imported with low customs fees if the local producers, villagers really work hard, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in his remarks in the Parliament.
Pashinyan assures Iran-EAEU free trade deal derives from Armenia’s interests
STEPANAKERT, MARCH 28, ARTSAKHPRESS-ARMENPRESS: My Step faction MP Lilit Stepanyan asked whether the agreement may create some risks for agricultural and greenhouse entities in Armenia.
In response Pashinyan said this agreement is not only about making import from Iran to Armenia, but also making export from Armenia to Iran. “The interesting point here is that a market worth 3 million signs a contract with a market worth 80 million, and the first reaction is that maybe potatoes will imported from there, and the price of our potatoes will decrease. We have a potential to export 100.000 tons of potatoes annually, which we are not exporting. We open that market worth 80 million for us and state that they can capture our market worth 3 million. Yes, this is possible if we don’t work”, Pashinyan said, adding that the component of intellectual work in the agriculture sector should increase and that of the physical work should decrease.
The PM stated that there are no concrete calculations on how much the price of the potato imported from Iran will be, but assured that there are calculations that this agreement is beneficial for Armenia and derives from its interests.
The Parliament of Armenia on March 27 approved the bill on ratifying the interim agreement on forming a free trade zone between Iran and the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).
