VIDEO: Kerobyan on Market Issues and Turkish Goods

Due to the establishment of an Azerbaijani checkpoint on the Goris–Kapan road and the inaccessibility of an alternative route, trade between Armenia and Iran has decreased. This was stated by the Minister of Economy of Armenia, Vahan Kerobyan, during a briefing with journalists after a government session.

“It has not decreased compared to 2020, because in 2021 we had a 25% increase in trade with Iran compared to 2020, reaching a threshold of $500 million. However, this growth has been significantly lower than we had planned. So it wouldn’t be accurate to say it has decreased; rather, it has grown less,” said Kerobyan.

It is worth noting that on January 19, 2022, the head of the State Revenue Committee of Armenia, Rustam Badasyan, stated to journalists that Armenia had not been economically harmed by the situation created on the Goris–Kapan highway.

Recall that Azerbaijani checkpoints were established on the Goris-Kapan and Kapan-Jakaten roads starting from November 11 and November 15, 2021. On December 12, 2021, the head of the Azerbaijani State Revenue Committee, Safar Mehdiyev, announced that approximately $1.2 million had been deposited into the Azerbaijani state budget from fees collected from vehicles passing through the Goris-Kapan road.