Changes to the Temporary Ban on Importing Turkish Goods. Draft Under Circulation

On the unified platform for public discussion of legal acts of Armenia, www.e-draft.am, a draft amendment to the Government of the Republic of Armenia's decision dated June 24, 2021, on the "Temporary Ban on Importing Goods of Turkish Origin" has been introduced for circulation.

The draft has been developed by the Ministry of Economy of Armenia. According to the justification of the draft, the amendments and changes are necessitated by the need to mitigate the negative impacts arising from the ban on importing Turkish-origin goods on economic operators.

"In order to alleviate the potential negative consequences arising from the adoption of the decision, this draft would allow economic operators to remove from the list of banned goods those products that, while being finished goods, are considered raw materials or intermediate products by certain economic operators, and whose procurement from alternative markets is nearly impossible due to logistical chain and price-quality combinations. The draft also does not extend the ban to a single shipment of certain goods, which will facilitate the continuity of operations of several large taxpayers until they manage to transition to alternative markets or complete the organization of domestic production processes," the justification of the draft states.

Specifically, as an expected outcome of the adoption of the draft, it aims to ensure the use of non-final consumption goods in domestic production, as well as to enhance and maintain the volumes of exports from Armenia, thereby contributing to the acceleration of economic growth rates. The draft also intends to provide representatives of non-Turkish brands in Armenia with the opportunity to import one shipment of Turkish-origin goods until January 1, 2022.