US embassy cable - 04YEREVAN2026

UNCLAS YEREVAN 002026 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EB/CBA, EUR/CACEN, EUR/ACE 
USTR FOR KATRIN KUHLMAN 
DHS FOR JANET LABUDA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON, EAID, ETRD, AM 
SUBJECT:  LETTER ROM THE MINISTER OF TRADE TO CUSTOMS 
COMMISISONER BONNER 
 
 
1.  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs transmitted the 
following letter to the Embassy September 13, 2004.  The 
original English language text follows. 
 
BEGIN TEXT: 
 
03/09/2004 
 
Mr. Robert C. Bonner 
Commissioner, U.S. Customs and Border Protection 
Department of Homeland Security 
Government of the United States of America 
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW 
Washington, DC 
20229 
 
Dear Commissioner Bonner: 
 
I am writing to you to express my concerns with 
respect to US Customs treatment of exports to the 
United States of clothing articles manufactured by an 
Armenian textile manufacturer, Hayas Group OJSC, a 
respected Armenian company which for more than ten 
years has manufactured clothing articles in Armenia 
for export to many countries around the world. 
Indeed, I am surprised at what appears to be 
prejudicial treatment by US Customs officials of an 
Armenian exporter given the long-standing close 
relations between the Governments of the Republic of 
Armenia and the United States of America. 
 
At this time, US Customs officials in New York and 
Los Angeles are detaining a number of shipments 
exported by Hayas Group to Hilltop Industries Inc. of 
Irwindale, California.  The US Customs officials 
requested information to confirm that the clothing 
articles exported from Armenia by Hayas Group were 
manufactured in Armenia, and not simply transshipped 
through Armenia from other countries.  Hayas Group 
has provided extensive information to Hilltop 
Industries to confirm the manufacturing operations it 
has conducted in Armenia in the production of these 
clothing articles, which Hilltop Industries has in 
turn furnished to the US Customs officials.  The US 
Customs officials, however, are apparently not 
satisfied and have made oral requests for additional 
information but, apparently, they have refused to 
give any written confirmation of the specific 
information they require. 
 
I consider this situation to be most distressing, 
especially given the significant resources the 
Government of the United States has invested in the 
development of a viable market economy in Armenia.  I 
request therefore that you review this matter with 
your officials to ensure that Hayas Group is not 
unfairly prevented from exporting to the United 
States the clothing articles it manufactures in 
Armenia. 
 
I will be pleased to provide to you any additional 
information you may require.  Thank you very much 
for your attention to this matter. 
 
Yours truly, 
 
/s/ 
 
Karen Chshmaritian 
Minister of Trade and Economic Development Republic of 
Armenia 
 
Cc: The Honorable John M. Evans 
Ambassador of the United States to Armenia 
 
END TEXT 
 
EVANS