YEREVAN.- Carrefour trade chain will open in Armenia by the end of this year, representative of Economy Ministry Karen Vardanyan said.

A seminar on “Carrefour in Armenia: Problems of Business Environment and Free Competition Issues” was held in Yerevan on Friday.

Vardanyan said the Ministry sees no problem with Carrefour’s entering Armenian market and labeled delays as “internal problem of business environment.”

Chairman of parliament’s standing committee on economic affairs Vardan Ayvazyan noted that the Carrefour problem was extremely politicized. He agreed that competing retailers are concerned over the issue.

“I've heard that Aleksanyan [owner of Yerevan City supermarkets -ed.] is ready to sell his chain,” he added.

Former owner of a coffee packing company “Parisian Surch” Valerie-Ashkhen Gortzounian, participating in the discussion via Skype, said that laws do not work in Armenia.

In response, Ayvazyan noted that it will last only half an hour to register a new company in Armenia.

However, the key – whether the company can run business smoothly in the chosen market – was left out.