More than half of Ukrainians favour peace talks as war reaches 1,000 days, finds Gallup poll
13 hours ago
Armenia exports to Russia surged in 2022, at a staggering growth rate of 187% compared to the previous year. Moreover, over half of these exports were re-exports originating from third countries, adding fuel to speculation that Armenia is playing a key role in the rerouting of Western imports to Russia to avoid sanctions.
Due to its strategic geographical location, Armenia has emerged as a crucial transit route for trade between Western countries and Russia since the imposition of Western sanctions on Moscow.
The European Commission has proposed a new mechanism to target countries seen as not doing enough to prevent Russia from evading export restrictions. Countries possibly under scrutiny for the potential application of EU sanctions include Armenia.
Up to now the EU has been applying diplomatic pressure to try to improve the sanctions enforcement of third countries in terms of trade with Russia, with dual-use goods—namely, goods that can be diverted from civilian industry customers to use by military producers—a particular concern. The idea is that if that pressure proves ineffective, a mechanism would give EU member nations the power to place export restrictions on key goods.
The US has also identified Armenia as one of five countries that pose challenges in terms of evading sanctions.
During a special meeting of the Standing Committee on Financial, Credit and Budgetary Affairs of the National Assembly, Armenian Minister of Finance Vahe Hovhannisyan highlighted that goods manufactured within Armenia accounted for 47% of the total exports to Russia.
Hovhannisyan further disclosed that the tourism industry experienced a significant growth of 90%, primarily driven by visitors from Russia. The increased influx of money transfers played a significant role in the appreciation of the Armenian dram.
The Armenian economy has become more and more dependent on trade with Russia. The Armenian economy has grown strongly since the Russian invasion, rising an impressive 12.6% last year, This growth exceeded initial projections, as the state budget for 2022 had estimated an 11% growth rate, while the government's target was set at 7% for the same year.
The services sector emerged as the key contributor to GDP growth, although notable progress was also observed in the industry and construction sectors.
Hovhannisyan further emphasised the reduction in the unemployment rate by 2.5%, bringing it down to 13%. Additionally, real wages witnessed a positive increase of 6.3%, despite the backdrop of an 8.6% inflation rate.
Related Content
Data
More than half of Ukrainians favour peace talks as war reaches 1,000 days, finds Gallup poll
Over half of Ukrainians now support negotiations to end the war with Russia, marking a significant shift in public sentiment as the conflict surpasses its 1,000th day, according to Gallup polls released on November 19.
What happens if aid to Ukraine collapses under Trump?
Researchers at the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, which has been tracking aid to Ukraine's war effort, have calculated hypothetical scenarios of what they believe Ukraine aid could look like in 2025, once Trump takes office in January.
Popular support for Ukraine falling amongst allies
Nato's most recent survey of its member country populations showed that even among those nations that are Ukraine's biggest supporters in terms of its war effort against Russia, many constituents disagree with continued support, Statista reports.
_1732041961.png)
Slovak unemployment at historic low in October
Slovakia registered the lowest unemployment level of 5.88% for October since the splitting of Czechoslovakia in January 1993. The October figures also registered the lowest number of job applicants – 163,841 – since 1993.
Polish inflation’s October pick-up to 5% y/y confirmed
The Polish consumer price index (CPI) picked up its expansion rate slightly to 5% year on year in October (chart) from 4.9% y/y in September, data from Poland’s statistical office GUS showed on November 15.
Most Read
-
Russia ready to start peace talks in January, willing to make some “limited” concessions
1 day ago
-
PANNIER: Central Asia faces tough race against clock to prevent water crisis
2 days ago
-
Nicaragua unveils new canal route in bid to rival Panama
1 day ago
-
Ukraine will recover Crimea via diplomacy, not force - Zelenskiy
11 hours ago
-
Czech premier ridiculed over comments about Czech and German wages
19 hours ago
-
Russia’s economy is tougher than it looks, no chance of a crisis in the next 3-5 years – CASE
7 days ago
-
Aliyev roasts the West for double standards as COP29 goes off the rails
5 days ago
-
G20 summit wraps up with a joint statement strong on sentiment, but short on specifics
2 days ago
-
North Korea ready to send 100,000 troops to support Russia’s war in Ukraine
3 days ago
-
RAGOZIN: What will a Trump-led peace deal in Ukraine look like?
10 days ago
-
LONG READ: Georgian Dream’s hold over rural areas won it the election
19 days ago
-
What would a Trump win mean for Latin America?
17 days ago
-
Russia overtakes Japan to become the fourth largest economy in the world in PPP terms
5 months ago
-
Elon Musk's Starlink is turning the tide of the Ukraine War in favour of Russia
1 month ago
-
Mass protest in Serbia’s Novi Sad over deadly station canopy collapse turns violent
16 days ago