YEREVAN (Noyan Tapan)–According to the data provided by the Ministry of Statistics–State Register and Analysis–in January-June 1999–the foreign trade turnover totaled $493.3 million. Exports totaled $111.8 million–and imports $381.5 million. In the first half of 1999 the foreign trade turnover decreased by 7.3 percent as compared to the same period last year: exports decreased by 3.9 percent–and imports by 8.2 percent. As a result–the negative trade balance decreased by 9.9 percent.
The trade turnover with CIS countries totaled $118.3 million or 24 percent of the total trade turnover. In January-June 1998 it was 28.7 percent. The foreign trade turnover with other countries totaled $375.1 million or 76 percent of the total trade turnover.
Commodities worth a total of $27.1 million were exported to the CIS countries. Imports from the CIS countries totaled $91.1 million. The negative trade balance made up $64 million.
In January-June 1999 exports to the CIS countries decreased by 47.6 percent as compared to the same period last year. Exports to other countries increased by 31 percent. Imports from CIS countries decreased by 9.7 percent and from other countries by 7.8 percent.
Exports to CIS countries totaled 24.3 percent: to Russia 12.7 percent–to Georgia 7.3 percent–and 4.3 percent to the other CIS countries. Exports to other countries totaled 75.7 percent: to the EEC countries 41.7 percent (to Belgium 32.1 percent)–20.2 percent to Iran–7.6 percent to the US.
Imports from CIS countries totaled 23.9 percent (from Russia 19.3 percent). Imports from other countries totaled 76.1 percent: 32.6 percent from the EEC countries–11.8 percent from Great Britain–10.9 percent from Belgium–12 percent from the US–8.2 percent from Iran.