The European Union's move to suspend import duties on around 80 per cent of Armenian products is a goodwill gesture towards Yerevan, but analysts say it is unlikely to have a significant impact on the European market.
Brussels has said the initial two-year measure will support Armenia's economy and help the country develop alternative markets in the face of trade restrictions imposed by Russia. Moscow is Yerevan’s largest trading partner, accounting for more than 35 per cent of the country’s trade in 2025.
Murad Muradov, deputy director of Baku’s Topchubashov Centre, said the political significance of the EU’s decision was notable.
“I think the EU tries to send a clear signal to Yerevan that its steps aimed at getting closer to Europe will be mutual.
“Moscow has based its Eurosceptic campaign in Armenia on economic issues. Russia has always been Armenia's overwhelmingly key trade partner, and the EU traditionally applies very stringent standards when it comes to imports from outside of the EU countries.”
Muradov said Russian politicians and experts had argued that Armenia had little chance of exporting its goods and achieving economic prosperity outside the Russian-aligned framework.
The EU measure was therefore intended to show Yerevan that closer relations with Brussels could come with economic support, Muradov said. However, he noted that Armenia’s relatively small export market meant the additional goods were unlikely to have a significant impact on the European market.
Muradov also warned that the arrangement could stir resentment among other countries seeking similar access to European markets.
“Questions may arise among other EU partners who, for example, for years have tried to gain the right to export to Europe, especially when it comes to food: fruit, vegetables, meat products,” he said.
“The partners may question European integrity and consistency when it comes to the standards.”
As the Ukraine war is highlighted by some leaders during the United Nations' 81st General Assembly meetin...
The 81st UN General Assembly returns for its third day in New York on Thursday, with world leaders delivering high-level speeches and holding diplo...
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As the Ukraine war is highlighted by some leaders during the United Nations' 81st General Assembly meeting in New York, Russian forces attacked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early on Thursday with ballistic missiles, killing two people and injuring six, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained low on Thursday, as Iran reiterated that it will neither enter into new negotiations with the United States nor re-open the Strait as long as its conditions are not met, despite recent indirect talks in New York mediated by Qatar.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in New York on Wednesday, as Washington pushes for an end to the war in Ukraine and Kyiv and Moscow continue to strike energy infrastructure.
U.S. President Donald Trump said his team held a three-hour meeting with an Iranian delegation in New York that he described as “very good” and “productive”, with another round of talks scheduled soon.
The 81st UN General Assembly continues in New York on Wednesday, with another day of high-level speeches and diplomatic meetings. The wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, global security and international cooperation remain at the centre of discussions.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says Yerevan wants to deepen ties with Moscow while strengthening its partnership with the European Union as part of a balanced foreign policy.
For decades, the Strait of Hormuz has been one of the Gulf’s main gateways to the world. Now, months of disruption are pushing regional governments to invest in alternative routes and move more cargo around the strategic waterway.
Germany will keep its Patriot air-defence system deployed in eastern Türkiye until April 2027 as NATO bolsters its defences against regional missile threats.
11 of 19 Kazakh servicemen swept into the Caspian Sea during military exercises in the Mangystau region have died, Kazakhstan’s Defence Ministry said on Thursday.
U.S. officials drafted a statement for Secretary of State Marco Rubio in early September condemning UK, French and Canadian plans to block imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, but it was never released.
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