Opening of Armenia-Turkey Border Will Reduce Competitiveness in Certain Sectors: Papoyan

The opening of the Armenia-Turkey border will generally benefit the Armenian economy, but competitiveness issues will arise in certain sectors. This was stated by the Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan during a press briefing following the 7th congress of the 'Civil Contract' party.

He added that the potential of Armenia’s economy will expand. 'There may be competitiveness issues related to certain sectors, but the government has solutions. First, the government will implement supportive measures, on the one hand, short-term to ensure their competitiveness, and on the other hand, long-term for transformation. If engaging in X is advantageous at this moment, but Y offers better benefits, then a transition to Y is necessary, especially if Y is more advantageous. In other words, there must be a transformation, which may not be easy for everyone, as it requires technology, knowledge, and so on,' Papoyan said.

Commenting on the opening of the border with Turkey, he noted that it would bring several economic advantages, such as a decrease in prices for goods not produced in Armenia and currently imported. 'Armenia's greatest benefit will be the access to Turkey’s ports on the Mediterranean Sea,' Gevorg Papoyan stated.