ARMENIA, BELARUS HAVE GREAT, MARTIN SARGSYAN SAYS

ARKA
September 18 2007

Armenia and Belarus have a great potential for trade cooperation,
Chairman of the RA Chamber of Commerce and Industry Martin Sargsyan
stated at a meeting with a Byelorussian business delegation.

According to him, Armenian enterprises must be more active in supplying
their products to the Byelorussian market.

"It is no secret that transport problems invalidate many good business
projects, but it is important not to lose each other as partners now,"
he said.

Sargsyan also pointed out that the two countries can be proud of good
examples of joint business, which must be expanded in the aspect of
both volume and range.

"I am sure that the businessmen that arrived in Armenia as members
of the Byelorussian delegation will be able to establish business
contacts with their Armenian counterparts," he said.

Head of the Byelorussian delegation, Chairman of the Chamber of
Commerce and Industry of Belarus Vladimir Bobrov said that, despite
being small, the bilateral trade turnover is increasing year by year,
and the present visit will only promote this process.

"Our economies are complementary, so we can state that our countries
have grounds for further development of trade relations," he said.

Byelorussian Ambassador to Armenia Marina Dolgopolova said that the
bilateral trade turnover has increased almost 10 times over the last
seven years.

"Byelorussian exports to Armenia were predominant before, whereas
Armenian exports to Belarus have been increasing over the last year,"
she said.

In 2006, Armenian-Byelorussian trade turnover made $21.3mln against
$15.4mln in 2005. In January-July 2007, it reached $15.7mln. Armenia’s
exports to Belarus totaled $1.7mln, and imports from Belarus $14mln.

The share of Armenian-Byelorussian trade turnover in Armenia’s total
turnover is 0.7%.

Customs statistics show that Armenia mostly exports fruit juices,
brandies, wines, glass containers, drugs, and mineral waters to
Belarus, while importing refrigerators, lorries, tractors, textile,
paper items, matches, chipboards, plywood, furniture, drugs and
cosmetics.

The Byelorussian delegation is to leave Armenia on September 20, 2007.