Armenia to Sign Food Safety Agreement with the UAE, Says Kerobyan

In the near future, a food safety agreement will be signed between the Republic of Armenia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This was announced by Armenia's Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan during a press conference held within the framework of the Armenia-UAE Business Forum.

According to him, this will allow Armenian products to have better access to UAE markets, which is an important step in terms of exports.

“Moreover, we are working with our Iranian partners to facilitate and make transit cargo shipments to Gulf countries easier and more affordable. Work is already underway in this direction, and there are already exports; our goal is to make trade more free and flourishing through the facilitation or simplification of logistical and transit connections,” emphasized the minister.

He noted that besides trade, a free trade agreement on services and investments will also be signed with Iran in the near future, as according to Kerobyan, services also constitute a significant part of trade apart from physical goods.

The minister reminded that in the case of a free trade agreement, Russia is the main negotiator on behalf of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), but the Armenian side is paying close attention to ensure that Armenia's interests are properly protected during these negotiations.

During the press conference at the Armenia-UAE Business Forum, Economy Minister Vahan Kerobyan also stated that the UAE has become one of the three major trading partners for Armenia, alongside Russia and China. According to him, trade between Armenia and the UAE exceeded $1 billion in 2022.

Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan also spoke about when the agreement on visa liberalization between Armenia and the UAE will come into effect, stating: “The agreement needs to go to the Constitutional Court, it must pass constitutional scrutiny, and then be submitted to the National Assembly for ratification. We hope to complete this process in a very short time.”