Armenian Trade With Russia Raises Re-Export Questions

As international sanctions bite Russia and many Western companies have stopped doing business in the country, Moscow has tried to fill the gaps with a program it calls “parallel imports.”

Armenia has reported a nearly 50 percent increase in trade with Russia, raising questions about what part Armenia is playing in supplying Russia with the foreign goods its economy needs.

While the data are inconclusive about whether Armenian companies are in fact engaging in parallel exports, or re-exports, the raw trade numbers have caught the attention of Western diplomats in Yerevan.

Armenian exports to Russia, its largest trade partner, grew 49 percent in the first half of 2022 compared with the same period last year, the country’s official statistics agency reported at the beginning of August. Imports grew 42 percent.

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https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/...estions-a78692