Azerbaijan could consider importing fish and dairy products from Armenia if the goods meet national food-safety standards and can compete on price and quality, economist Asif Ibrahimov said.
Ibrahimov made the comments to Globalinfo.az amid discussion of alternative markets for Armenian products affected by Russian import restrictions.
He said the countries’ proximity makes such trade theoretically possible, but the products would first need to pass Azerbaijan’s food-safety and veterinary controls.
Authorities would need to verify product quality and origin, examine the manufacturer and review laboratory test results, Ibrahimov said.
He said Azerbaijan should take the Russian restrictions into account but independently assess whether the products are safe for the Azerbaijani market.
Only after those checks should officials consider the economic case, including price and whether imported products could compete with goods already available locally.
Ibrahimov said cheaper, higher-quality Armenian products could strengthen competition in Azerbaijan. If the goods were expensive or carried additional risks, however, the economic rationale for imports would weaken.
The proposal remains hypothetical. Food trade between Azerbaijan and Armenia would require legal and logistical arrangements as well as food-safety approvals, he said.
Sources: Globalinfo.az; Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision; Vesti Baku.