Traffic Jams Indicate Economic Activity, Says Kerobyan

Proposals in the draft amendments to the law on trade and services suggest allocating separate shelves in commercial halls for dairy products made from non-pure milk, allowing consumers to easily distinguish pure dairy products from those made with other oils. This was stated by Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan during a briefing with journalists.

“Our colleagues in the National Assembly raised the question that it is technically impossible in small shops, and although there are differing opinions within the team, we agree with our colleagues in the National Assembly that we will consider the minimum size of the commercial hall during the transition from the first to the second reading, above which shops will be required to have separate shelves. This, of course, will not be liked by entrepreneurs and retail traders, but since we must balance the interests of consumers and businesses in our work and also considering that such regulations exist in the EAEU, we will move forward with this moderately balanced decision,” he said.

Regarding the potential increase in economic activity from reducing non-working days, Kerobyan noted: “I have a half-joking expression that on January 3rd, I had a meeting at 4 PM, and the person who was supposed to come was 10 minutes late, saying they were stuck in traffic, something that had never happened in Armenia on January 3rd. I believe that the economic activity we are already seeing gives hope to say that we will start the year robustly.” He confirmed that traffic jams are an indicator of economic activity.

“I often interact with retail and wholesale traders, and they all say that there is a significant difference. We should wait for the numbers, but I am very confident that the forecasts we provided during the substantiation of this project will be exceeded,” he said.

Speaking about the issue of lifting the ban on imports of Turkish goods and providing privileges to local producers as a result, Vahan Kerobyan stated: “The government decided that restrictions should be lifted, which was guided by political considerations. As the body responsible for the economy, we must closely monitor and protect those companies that have opened in the last year and ensure that their stability is not jeopardized. If we see that there are problems and the business of investors is endangered, struggling to compete with Turkish imports, we will definitely implement certain programs. Personally, I have been in favor of extending the ban, but since the government is a collegial body, a unified decision has been made.”

“If we are talking about peace, we must understand that it has a very high price, and the Armenian people have paid that price over the past 30 years. This is why we have huge problems in education, health, and infrastructure. The lack of that peace has prevented Armenia from developing as competing countries with long-term peace have. To correct this competitive imbalance and improve the well-being of the Armenian people, the establishment of long-term peace is necessary,” he added.