NECESSARY TO PROTECT LOCAL PRODUCERS BEFORE OPENING BORDER: SAFARIAN

Tert
Sept 22 2009
Armenia

Local manufacturers are not protected, and before opening
Armenian-Turkish border, steps must be taken to protect the local
market as much as possible and to create conditions for local
production, said Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Armenia
President Vazgen Safarian.

Representing Armenian entrepreneurs’ concerns in case the
Armenian-Turkish border opens, Safarian stated that much time was
lost until production in Armenia was raised to an adequate level, and
he expressed hope that the new challenge — opening of the border —
will allow Armenia’s government to understand the drawbacks and correct
them. To this aim, he placed importance to the conceptual development
of the local production industry, which is already in process.

In response to Tert.am’s question, which local products would be able
to withstand the flow of Turkish products in case the border opened,
Safarian said that the opening of the border would allow the export
of electricity worth 200 million USD. According to the president of
the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Armenia, Armenia’s
sweet goods can compete with Turkish products.

Safarian considers providing loans to local manufacturers and
protecting them through ardent customs policy to be some of the first
steps in protecting local manufacturers. Explaining, he stated that
Armenian customs must ban the import of certain products, so that
their production in the country is developed.

Safarian also sees positive aspects in opening the Armenian-Turkish
border. Particularly, according to him, Armenia will become a transit
country and so that it doesn’t become dependent on Turkey’s border,
it must also accelerate the construction of the Iran-Armenia railway.

More than 500 companies are members of the Union of Industrialists and
Entrepreneurs of Armenia, most of whom are concerned with the opening
of the border, Safarian stated. He concluded by saying that it is the
political component which dominates in Armenian-Turkish relations;
only afterwards is the economic aspect considered.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress