EXPORT OF DRUGS AND DRUG SUBSTANCES, AS WELL AS GOODS IMPORTED INTO ARMENIA FOR NON-PHARMACEUTICAL PURPOSE NOT TO BE SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION

NOYAN TAPAN
AUGUST 6 2009
YEREVAN

The Armenian government has made amendments and an addition to
Decision No 581 of September 20, 2000. Based on the amendments, no
certificate of the RA Ministry of Health is required in case of the
export of drugs or drug subsatnces. It has been also established that
goods imported into Armenia for a non-pharmaceutical purpose are not
subject to certification during their import.

At a briefing following the government sitting, RA Minister of Economy
Nerses Yeritsian said the first decision has cancelled the requirement
for certification in case of export, so companies themselves can apply
for a certificate if the country, to which the Armenian commodity is
exported, has such a requirement. In all other cases economic entities
will no longer be obliged to receive a certificate.

According to the minister, a similar problem exists in case of
import. Some goods imported for a construction purpose may have a
double significance and are certified as well. However, this process
is quite long, due to which the companies manufacturing construction
paints encounter problems when importing raw material. "For that
reason the decision established a procedure envisaging that if an
economic entity imports a commodity for a non-pharmaceutical purpose,
it must indicate this in the customs declaration and the commodity
will be customs cleared at the border," N. Yeritsian explained.

The minister said that the above mentioned decisions will considerably
reduce the expenses of the companies that currently import or export
such substances.