The more than 100 trucks laden with agricultural produce were effectively seized by authorities in various Russian cities for still unclear reasons. Their owner, the Spayka company, says that it has still not received a clear explanation for the unprecedented punitive measure that has disrupted its operations essential for the Armenian agricultural sector.
The company claims to be suffering millions of dollars in losses. One of its senior executives, Karen Baghdasarian. warned late last week that it will have to stop buying fruit and vegetables from Armenian farmers next month if the trucks remain blocked.
“A particular company has particular problems with Russian law-enforcement agencies … and the issue should be clarified in that format,” Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian told journalists when he was asked to comment on the effective disruption of Spayka’s operations largely oriented towards Russia.
Both Pashinian and his economy minister, Gevorg Papoyan, declined to shed light on those problems. Also, they gave no indications that the government is planning to deal with them.
“I have some information, but given the company’s reputational role in our economy and also processed, I think we should be guided exclusively by messages disseminated by the company because any statement could harm its interests,” said Papoyan.
The remarks seemed consistent with media claims that Spayka is investigated by Russian authorities for large-scale tax evasion. Baghdasarian denied that when he spoke to RFE/RL’s Armenian Service on Friday.
“We have not received any official notification regarding any criminal or legal proceedings,” he said.
Spayka currently employs about 2,500 people and claims to account for roughly two-thirds of Armenian fruit and vegetable exports which totaled, according to government data, over $140 million in the first half of this year. Russia absorbs the bulk of those exports.
The disruption of Spayka’s vital exports to Russia coincided with Moscow’s renewed warnings about severe economic consequences of Armenia’s desire to eventually join the European Union. Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk again said early this month that Armenian exporters would lose their tariff-free access to the Russian market in that case.
Pashinian appeared to defy those warnings when he addressed on Saturday a congress of his Civil Contract party. He said his administration will step up “efforts aimed at Armenia's accession to the European Union.”
According to official statistics, Russia accounted for over 35 percent of Armenia’s first-half foreign trade, compared with the EU’s 12 percent share.