Pan Armenian News

AZERIS PREFER ARMENIAN COGNAC

Many Armenia products are sold in Baku shops.

According to Azeri “Day.az” informational web-portal, Armenian
products have again appeared on the market in Baku. It is said, that
in Baku one can freely buy “Ararat” cognac, “Jermuk” mineral water,
“Cigaronne” cigarettes and other products. It is also mentioned that
non-official relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan have never been
stopped. At the same time the author notes that state structures do
everything possible to stop the import of Armenian products.

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The logic of the opponents of the goods with
“Made in Armenia” label consists in the following: the buyer
of those products supports the replenishment of the budget that
funds Armenian army. However, this argument does not quite impress
Arzeri businessmen. The import of Armenian products to Azerbaijan
increases. According to Azeri mass media, the shadow turnover runs
up to 40 million dollars. Besides the mentioned products the shops
of Azerbaijan also sell Sevan white-fish, potatoes from Vardenis,
Yerevanian shoes, chemicals produced in Vanadzor, bentonite from
Ijevan and so on. The electric lamps produced by Armenian “Grand Son”
company also used to be very popular in Azerbaijan, let alone the
fact that the majority of wedding parties in Baku are accompanied by
the recordings of Armenian singer Boka who used to live in Baku.

Jewelries made by Armenian jewelers enjoy popular demand in Azerbaijan.
According to “Echo” newspaper, all the fairs and specialized shops
openly sell the jewelries of Yerevan Jewelry Factory which is at
least proved by the “EU7” sign which is an evidence of Armenian
origin. Not long ago local experts made a sensational statement. They
suppose that not all the products with “EU7” sign are produced in
Armenia. Particularly, Emin Fatullaev, a famous expert-evaluator in
Baku, supposes that in reality some part of the jewelries is produced
underground in Azerbaijan and the Armenian is put for the product
to sell good. It turns out, that Armenian production is trusted even
more than that of Azerbaijan.

There are also quite many product of Azeri origin on the Armenian
market. Oil-products, tea, air-conditioners, red fish, red and black
caviar, fruits and dried fruits are imported from Azerbaijan via
Georgia and Iran. Last year when corn prices in Armenia jumped up, 50kg
sacks of flour produced in Gyanja and Shamkhor appeared on the Armenian
market. But the most striking is that 8 years ago even “Sumgait”
washing powders were imported to Armenia. Thus, it is quite obvious
that pragmatic Armenian businessmen adhere to the slogan “Business
has no boundaries”, even in situations when it may be immoral.

But in Baku this subject is treated much more painfully than in
Yerevan. The tax ministry conducts regular checkings to find Armenian
products and to punish those who sell them. It should be noted that
tax authorities withdraw not only goods produced in Armenia, but
also those produced at companies belonging to ethnic Armenians. The
employees of the tax ministry of Azerbaijan were very proud to stop
the import of canned fish produced in Murmansk only because they were
signed with “Ararat” brand. The same thing was done with wristwatches
purchased from Moscow “Dadlis M” company because the joint owner of
the company is someone whose family is Shirinyan.

Of course such sanctions make little changes, especially because
those sanctions are illegal. Azeri authorities make attempts to
provide legal base to the actions against Armenian import. Last year,
under the pressure of the Union of Free Customers, MP Zahid Orouj
started working up a bill, which will call to take legal actions
against those who sell Armenian products. According to the bill,
sellers of Armenian goods will be fined with 5500 manats (1000 US
dollars) or even imprisoned for 6-12 months. The initiators of the
anti-Armenian propaganda intend to pass a bill in Azeri parliament
that will prohibit the import of Armenian products.

OK, let them pass the bill. It will be harmful not for Armenia, but
first of all for Azerbaijan. The thing is not only that instead of
cheap Armenian shoes, customers will have to buy Turkish shoes of
doubtful quality. The consequences may be much more serious, since
Azerbaijan strives to enter the World Trade Organization. (Armenia
is already a member of that international organization). And if Azeri
law-makers, in contrast to Azeri businessmen have such a great disdain
for Armenian products they will have to give up the idea of joining
the World Trade Organization, because it is an organization that is
aims to create a unified market and does not accept any artificial
restrictions in trade. Countries that support such restrictions suffer
severe economic sanctions from WTO.

Artyom Yerkanyan

14.05.2005, “PanARMENIAN Network” analytical department

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress