Consulate General in Los Angeles Organizes Business Seminar to Promote the Import of Alcoholic and Non-Alcoholic Beverages from Armenia

GLENDALE – On February 10, a virtual business seminar was held to promote the import of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages from Armenia  to the Western United States. The seminar was organized by the Consulate General of Armenia in Los Angeles with the collaboration of the California-based Armenian American Business Council. This marks the beginning of a series of seminars organized by the Consulate General in Los Angeles, which will be dedicated to promotion of export of various types of goods from Armenia to the U.S.A. and on the expansion of production in Armenia.

The seminar was led by the Consul General of Armenia in Los Angeles Ambassador Armen Baibourtian. Welcoming the participants, Ambassador Baibourtian underlined the importance of the event as a practical step to further enhance the Armenia-California relations in the field of business with an ultimate goal of contributing to the development of the Armenian economy in these challenging times.

The Consul General noted that the enacted seminar will be followed up, and the Consulate General will present all the practical proposals summarized at the seminar to the respective ministries and government agencies in Armenia. Ambassador Baibourtian also noted that the Consulate General will proceed with organizing several planned events after the slowdown of the pandemic aimed at facilitating the access of the Armenian beverages into the American market.

The seminar was attended by Varazdat Pahlavuni, Counselor of the Consulate General, Naira Karapetyan, Head of the Foreign Trade and Eurasian Economic Union Department of the Ministry of Economy of Armenia, Hasmik Sargsyan from the Department of International Relations of the same Ministry of Economy, Armen Harutyunyan, Chairman of the Armenian-American Business Council, Armen Vardanyan and Sevada Hemelians, members of the board of the Armenian-American Business Council, Karine Sarkissian, Executive Director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Armenia as well as  wholesale importers or distributors of Armenia-made alcoholic (wine, brandy, fruit vodka, whiskey) and non- alcoholic (juices, lemonades, water, mineral water) beverages in California such as LAC, Fat&Happy Beverages, WinesofArmenia, Mistral, America, Voskevaz Winery, ArmAs Winery, Prowood USA, Jermuk Group USA, Apollo International, T&T import-export Inc., Export Armenia, IDW, Mr. Martin Inc., Noahs Orchards Distilling Co., and American Global Group.

Among the discussed issues were the efficiency improvement of the state-businessperson interrelationship in the given sphere and the task of increasing the volume of Armenian exported goods to the United States. The Consulate General of Armenia in Los Angeles pledged to continuously follow up with the respective government agencies on the issues raised during the discussion and the outcomes of the business seminar.