Not Armenian cognac, but brandy: Economy Minister discusses Armenia's new positioning

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YEREVAN, November 4. /ARKA/. Armenia should position itself globally as a producer of Armenian brandy, stated Gevorg Papoyan, the Minister of Economy./pp

In this regard, significant progress has been made. The producers themselves are implementing changes in branding and are now focusing on the product's name, noted Papoyan during the budget discussions in parliament./pp

According to him, it will eventually become impossible to use the term 'cognac' because it is a geographical name (referring to one of the provinces of France), and it can no longer be applied in international markets./pp

In 2023, thanks to assistance programs, 11.4 million liters of grape alcohol were exported. Similar figures have been recorded this year. When the export volume exceeds 100,000 liters, we provide 100 drams per liter as support, effectively reimbursing the amount of the duty paid, Papoyan stated./pp

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan urged his fellow citizens to call Armenian cognac 'brandy' rather than 'cognac.' He stated that the term 'cognac' is an intangible asset of France.’/pp

On the rebranding of Armenian cognac/pp

Earlier, Armenia announced its intention to abandon the name Armenian cognac, gradually replacing it with the new brand Armenian brandy. The EU allocated 2.9 million euros to support this initiative./pp

As stated by Armenian Ministry of Economy, under the terms of the previously signed agreement, Armenia has committed to gradually abandoning the use of e geographical names for the corresponding locally produced alcoholic beverages. According to EU regulations, only alcohol produced in the regions of the same name in France can bear the names cognac and champagne. -0-/p