It has been learned that at least some markets have been selling garlic that was grown in Azerbaijan.

While shopping for his festive table preparations, Samvel Karapetyan – a researcher of monuments – unearthed news which he immediately took to media.

“The label reads, ‘Produced on Aliyev St. Apt. 2, Baku, Azerbaijan.’ Isn’t it enough that the country [Armenia] is flooded with Turkish products? And now do we boost the economy of Azerbaijan, forgetting that we are factually at war with that country? Is Armenia in an extremely poor condition that it has to buy garlic from Azerbaijan? Shame on us!” Karapetyan said.

One kilo of garlic costs 1,500-1,600 drams (about $4) at shops and markets in Yerevan. There were five garlic bulbs of Azeri production in one package, and each bulb was sold at 260 drams (80 cents -- five garlic bulbs cost 1,300 drams, $3).

Haykaz Hovhannisyan, director of ‘Armenia Trade Center’ Hayrapetyan Brothers CJSC, said that they do not know who the importer of the garlic is.

“We buy a great part of our vegetable from different markets – ‘Goom’, ‘Malatia’, etc.,” Hovhannisyan said.

According to the State Revenue Committee (SRC) of Armenia, “garlic was imported to Armenia, in January-November 2011, from the following countries: China, Georgia, [and] Greece.”

Traders dealing with retail trade at the vegetable section of ‘Malatia’ market say that they are not aware of the Azeri-grown garlic imported to Armenia.

“But it is very delicious garlic, and it is sold quite successfully. If there were not this garlic [Azeri-grown garlic] then the garlic price would be 2,500-3,000 drams ($6.50-$7.85),” says one of the traders. “It is not excluded that an individual has brought it [Azeri-grown garlic] from Georgia, who knows.”

Garlic with Azeri labels has now been removed from shops, while the SRC is looking into how the stinking enemy got here.