The Armenian government will have either to approve the extension of a ban on Turkish imports or cancel it, when it convenes Thursday for the last session in 2021, Armenian Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan said.
According to the minister, the decision to lift the ban or extend it would also be driven by politics. "Politically, the processes are in a positive scenario now. From this point of view, the rationale of extending the ban is getting weaker," he noted.
Kerobyan said that over the past year a string of dramatic changes have taken place in Armenia and Turkey. According to him, the Turkish lira has significantly devalued, and Turkish goods have become significantly cheaper, which increases the risks for Armenian producers.
"There is no consensus in the government, but since the people involved in the negotiation process have a better command of the big picture, the final decision will be made Thursday,’ he said indicating that the likelihood of lifting the ban is quite big.
Kerobyan said also that throughout the year, the Ministry of Economy has been studying the impact of the ban on the Armenian economy and has found both very positive and very negative effects. One of the negative impacts was the higher inflation in Armenia, ARKA reported.
