We support trade with Turkey, but only if it advances Armenian interests. Narek Karapetyan

We support trade with Turkey, but only if it advances Armenian interests. This was stated by Narek Karapetyan, a member of the council of the “Strong Armenia” party, during a press conference in the Ararat region.

“We are in favor of unblocking routes and increasing trade within Armenia’s borders, of course mainly with Turkey, so that we can access European markets through Turkey. However, the state must implement a sound economic policy to prevent Turkish agricultural products from entering and destroying Armenian farmers.

Turkey subsidizes 50% of gas costs for its farmers, and the state pays 50% of electricity costs. Under these conditions, they also build reservoirs on the Euphrates River, so they do not face water shortages. With these subsidies, they will be able to flood our market with cheap products and drive Armenian farmers into poverty.

There is only one way to counter this—protect the local producer, pursue a strong economic policy, and have leadership that can say ‘no’ where it is not beneficial for us and ‘yes’ where Armenian interests are at stake,” Karapetyan stated.