Driven by geopolitical situations, there is a great demand in Muslim markets
Chairman of the Republican Union of Employers of Armenia, also economist, Gagik Makaryan, referring to the fact that our compatriots making business in Georgia are disappointed and return home as, in particular, in the spheres of services, food and plastic goods production, they encounter challenges. They are unable to sell their goods, do not find caring and responsible workforce for the business and so on, and recommend our entrepreneurs to seek for new markets.
According to him, Georgia’s taxation is favorable, which attracted our entrepreneurs, but there is a decline in the purchasing power in this country too and the Georgian economy is not so developed so that our entrepreneurs will be able to easily do business. Mr. Makaryan believes that regardless of which country the Armenian entrepreneur wants to have a business, he should obtain literacy, which they are greatly lacking today. According to the Chairman of the Union, many of our businessmen do not even know how to read documents, do not speak foreign languages, cannot do marketing and so on. As mentioned by Gagik Makaryan, Georgian market strives to get closer to the European market with its certification requirements and is trying to further toughen the approaches as Georgia has chosen the European path, therefore, it would be very difficult for the Armenian businesses who are willing to carry out business activities in Georgia and to make their services in compliance with the standards of this country.
As presented by our interlocutor, this is why many of the Armenian businessmen prefer the Russian market, which is less different from the Armenian market and is not as tough as the European market. In terms of Russia, having fellow representatives from this country in our country is also helpful to the Armenian businessman who establish connections in Russian Federation and reach agreements. However, despite everything, Gagik Makaryan urges to make such investments in the business that will contribute to finding new markets. Knowledge, participation in the workshops and the high-quality products will help the entrepreneur gain recognition. The Chairman of the Union particularly invites the attention of the entrepreneurs and also the state on the markets of the Muslim world. Stipulated by geopolitical developments, today, a great demand has been emerged in the Muslim countries, hence, our businessmen, as Gagik Makaryan is convinced, should use the moment correctly. “Tunisia, Syria, and Egypt are now in a position and have lost so many resources that they need to restore all of it. Our businessmen would be right to start working in this direction,” says our interlocutor.
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According to him, we should also take into account the fact that today there are about two billion Muslims in the world, which is expected to double in 10-20 years. “We should not ignore this number, this number should be respected. These markets should be explored, state agreements should be signed, embassies should operate, exhibitions be organized and so on. Armenia should work with innovative approaches.” As said by Gagik Makaryan, however, it is not so easy to have an access to the Muslim market and our products should comply with the “genuine” certification standards.
While the “genuine” certification is almost equal to the ISO international standard. The “genuine” for a variety of products has its own requirements. For example, the local businessman cannot just export a slaughtered cattle meat to the Muslim market. This cattle should be slaughtered by the Muslim rules and the Mullah should be present in the process. In addition, not every type of cattle meat can be exported. Nevertheless, Mr. Makaryan believes that we have a number of products, which are in demand in Islamic market. According to him, if the Muslim sees a “genuine” certificate on any product, he blindly believes that the product is of high quality and buys it.
Lusine BUDAGHYAN,
“Aravot” daily
