ARMENIAN COMPANY TO CERTIFY THE ORIGIN OF ITALY-MADE SHOES

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS: Produttitori Italiani, a consortium of around 200 Italian show-making companies and the Armenian commerce and industry chamber opened today in Yerevan an exhibition of Italian shoes.

Gianni Marini, the chief manager of the consortium, said they had decided to organize the exhibition here to explore the local market for export of their products. He said 70 percent of shoes produced by the consortium members is sold in Russia. Marini said they would like to have a joint venture here to make shoes of Italian leather.

Marini said they had visited several shoe shops in Yerevan which say they sell Italy-made shoes, but according to him, these shoes are manufactured in Turkey and China. Marini said they will sign an agreement with a local Menarik company and will grant it a license to certify whether shoes sold as Italian- made are really produced in his homeland.