The first truck carrying Armenian organic fruit and vegetable preserves jams and juices left Armenia today, to supply five-star hotels in the United Arab Emirates.

An exclusive agreement was signed between the Tamara Fruit and Al Falaj companies during the Armenia-UAE Investment Forum organized by the Development Foundation of Armenia and its partner organization, the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce. The Arab partners have already placed orders for fifteen containers of Armenian organic and natural products, which will be distributed in hotels under the NOHF (Natural Organic Healthy Food) label.

Hamad Al Shahey, the CEO of Al Falaj, said, "Both the quality and price of these products are in line with the demand and prices of the Arab market."

Today, the newly appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Development Foundation of Armenia Armen Avak Avakian, the Export Director Hayk Mirzoyan, and the Head of the Industrial Development Department of the Ministry of Economic Development and Investments Armen Yeganyan, visited the Tamara Fruit warehouses, watched the export processes, and discussed potential issues and new support programs with the director.

"The investment forum of March 22 in Abu Dhabi, which also saw the participation of Armenia’s President, has significantly contributed to this partnership. It has greatly accelerated the process. People started to believe in and trust Armenia," added the Director of Tamara Fruit Boris Hovhannisyan.

"We continuously take steps towards market diversification, and this is one of the visible results of the Abu Dhabi Investment Forum. Trade potential with the UAE is regularly discussed by Suren Karayan and his partners in the UAE," mentioned Armen Yeganyan, the Head of the Industrial Development Department of the Ministry of Economic Development and Investments.

The Armenia-UAE Investment Forum aimed to fortify the economic ties between Armenia and the Arab countries. It took place on March 22 in Abu Dhabi, under the patronage and the participation of the RA President Serzh Sargsyan and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan. The forum agenda included presentations on agriculture and animal husbandry, energy, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, IT and engineering, tourism and real estate, as well as success stories of foreign companies operating in Armenia and a selection of investment projects. The forum also led to a number of other agreements. Armen Avak Avakian stated, "DFA will continue working on export development, as exports are one of the driving forces of the Armenian economy."