YEREVAN. – Pursuant to the draft of the EU Association Agreement, Armenia was obligated not to sell drinks under the name “cognac” in the domestic market, ten years later.   

Armenian Wine Makers’ Union President Avag Harutyunyan stated the aforementioned during a press conference on Tuesday.

As for the use of the word “cognac” in Russia, according to Harutyunyan, this depends on Russian-French relations. 

“If we [i.e., Armenia] are not in the Customs Union, no one will need our brandy. But one day they, too, might prohibit the use of the word ‘cognac,’” he added. 

But unlike Armenian brandy , whose 90 percent is consumed in the Customs Union, the Armenian wine has other problems. One-third of the Armenian wine is exported to Europe, whereas solely one million bottles are sent to Russia.   

“If we raise the quality of the wine, we can export three to four million bottles to Europe,” Avag Harutyunyan maintained.  

To note, following the talks that were held on September 3 in Moscow between Armenian and Russian Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Vladimir Putin, Sargsyan had announced that Armenia plans to join the Customs Union and subsequently engage in the formation of the Eurasian Economic Union.