Manvel Badeyan: Alexanyan brings sugar to Armenia by ship, other cannot do it (video)
Armenian lawmaker Manvel Badeyan, who was appointed Armenia’s Ambassador to Kuwait earlier on Monday, assured his colleagues in the National Assembly that there must be monopoly on sugar imports ‘because [Samvel] Alexanyan brings sugar to Armenia by ship, others cannot even bring in sacks.’ However, Badeyan agrees that the state should see to it that the business does not provide much profit by imposing restrictions as was proposed by Armenia’s Economy Minister Artsvik Minasyan. Speaking to reporters last week, Artsvik Minasyan did not rule out that importation of sugar may officially be regarded as a monopoly, considering that the sugar factory in Armenia works at only 25-30 percent of its capacity. “Wouldn’t it be better if you recognize it as a monopoly by law and impose conditions, for example demand that it has to work at the minimum of 90 percent of its capacity and ensure a certain number of jobs, a certain amount of revenues for the state budget and ensure transparency. In that case, regardless of who the owners are, the state perhaps would help this organization to organize exports,” the minister had said.
