YEREVAN. - Armenian cigarettes compete with the production of international corporations in the Middle East, Lusine Gevorgyan, CEO of International Masis Tabak LLC, told Armenian News – NEWS.am.

“The markets of those countries definitely have their peculiarities, but for the most part we have got used to them and ensure the necessary quality. This helps us not lose the competition. And it’s a fact that the cigarettes are recognized as Armenian ones, since we put ‘Made in Armenia’ in due prominence of the package,” she said.

Over the last 2 years, Armenia has seriously increased the export of cigarettes: in 2014 it rose by 70%, in the amount of up to $116,6 million. Arabic countries, specifically Iraq, became the largest new markets, where $79,1 million cigarettes were exported during the entire 2014. And in the first half of 2015, the total export of cigarettes rose from $50,2 to $71,5 million, becoming Armenia’s second largest and significant export according to its volume (after copper concentrate).