Epress.am News from Armenia
The customs office of the Zvartnots airport in Yerevan is refusing to issue a permit for the export of VAL Automation products to Georgia, civic activist Vardges Gaspari, owner of the company, told Epress.am on Friday. Citing certain legal regulations of the Eurasian Economic Union, the customs house had been demanding since April 25 that the entrepreneur presents expert conclusions which would show that he was not exporting military or dual-use goods. Moreover, the head of the customs house has referred Gaspari to specific private expert companies which issue certificates in return for payment for every single product unit.
The entrepreneur, in turn, claims that his company’s goods – nodes, voltage measuring devices, and thermostats – cannot be used for military or any related purposes and refuses to comply with the demand, being convinced that it is in fact an indirect demand for bribes.
“Each of these permits is a record on a plain A4 sheet, for which the exporter must pay between 20 and 100 thousand drams,” Gaspari told our reporter, adding that “those who choose to bribe the head of the customs house never face such problems.”
“Making use of the law on freedoms of information, I sent an appeal to customs head V. Tamrazyan to find out how many units of product were exported in 2016 and for how many of those the customs office demanded ‘military use conclusions.’ Tamrazyan, however, replied that he wound not answer the question,” the entrepreneur recalled.
After Tamrazyan’s refusal to provide Gaspari with the required information, the entrepreneur sent him a second letter, in which he wrote; “We believe that your demands and the constant obstruction of our work pursue corrupt goals which serve your personal interests as well as those of your corrupt and usurer leaders.”