The Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, stated that existing issues with Russia should be discussed, but emphasized that talking about sanctions is inappropriate. Artak Tovmasyan, who has been selling his flowers in the Russian market for many years, says that the business is currently at risk.
Tovmasyan highlights that the restrictions in the Russian market have political reasons, and if the government does not support small businesses, they will not be able to survive. He notes that their products are not selling, and they are forced to harvest and burn flowers to prevent soil quality from deteriorating.
Interestingly, the government has received 34 million euros in aid from the European Union, but small producers complain that the subsidies are mainly for large producers.
Artak Tovmasyan calls on the government to support small businesses in the formation of new standards and new markets so that they can survive.
