In Armenia's Ararat valley, where apricots ripen beneath the biblical mountain of the same name, farmer Aramais Kazaryan's harvest has been swept into the center of a geopolitical battle between Russia and the West. Angered at Yerevan's pivot away from Moscow, the Kremlin imposed bans and restrictions on the imports of a wide range of Armenian goods, including fruits, vegetables, and flowers, ahead of parliamentary elections earlier this month. Russia said it was for unspecified sanitary concerns, but it is widely seen as an attempt to heap economic pressure on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to reverse course and turn back toward Moscow.
Kazaryan, 75, planted his orchard in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Within five years, the trees were bearing fruit, and Russia became the natural destination for much of the harvest, trucked north across the border. The move has angered Kazaryan and many of his fellow farmers. 'For decades this trade went on. And suddenly everything changed?' he said. Moscow was punishing ordinary workers over the government's European course, despite Russia's claims of historic friendship, he said. 'This is aimed not against Pashinyan or the leadership, it is going against our people.'
Pashinyan's party won the June 7 vote despite intense pressure and allegations of interference from Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin has so far withheld formal congratulations and Moscow has talked up alleged violations in the vote. Armenia has strong formal ties to Moscow but Pashinyan has sought to reduce Yerevan's dependence on Moscow after Russia failed to intervene during military conflicts with Azerbaijan over the then-disputed Karabakh region. The Armenian government has scrambled to soften the blow of the trade war unleashed by Moscow, approving support for farmers, including subsidies for greenhouse exports.
The European Commission has pledged more than 50 million euros in immediate assistance, along with measures granting nearly 80 percent of Armenian exports tariff-free access to the EU's 450-million-consumer single market. Armenia's economy could contract by up to two percent if exporters fail to find new markets, Central Bank Governor Martin Galstyan has warned. Economic analyst Ashot Aramyan said government measures and EU help would only ease the shock temporarily. Armenia exported nearly $200 million worth of fresh fruit, vegetables, and flowers in 2025, with 93.3 percent going to Russia. 'It will not be possible to redirect the entire harvest to European and other markets,' Aramyan told AFP, warning of overproduction, bankruptcies, and possible social strain.
Kazaryan sees reason for optimism as Italian investors have planted large orchards in a nearby village and have started to export back home. But many farmers worry 'what to do with fruit that may have nowhere to go.' Under good weather conditions, he said, a single apricot tree can yield up to 500 kilograms. 'For a long time we were chasing only volumes, quantity -- after all, Russia was an inexhaustible market for us.' Armenian farmers, he said, should focus more on quality than yield to carve out a place in alternative markets.
