Photo credit: WAM
Dubai, UAE — July 2026 — Emirates National Oil Company, one of the national companies operating in the energy sector, has opened its first branded service station in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, in a move aimed at strengthening its presence in international markets as part of its external expansion strategy and efforts to establish its brand globally.
According to the Emirates News Agency, the station’s opening comes as the culmination of a strategic partnership EMARAT signed with Mega Trade, one of Armenia’s fuel and energy companies under the Cell Capital investment portfolio, following the signing of a partnership agreement between the two sides last year.
The opening ceremony was attended by Nariman Al Mulla, UAE Ambassador to the Republic of Armenia; Ahmed Al Shamsi, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of EMARAT and CEO of Trojan Holding Group; Burhan Al Hashemi, CEO of EMARAT; along with a number of officials and representatives from the energy and business sectors in both countries.
The station marks EMARAT’s first entry into the Armenian market. The company, in partnership with Mega Trade, plans to launch a network of service stations across Armenia operating according to EMARAT’s global operational standards, including fuel supply, retail stores, and support services, as part of an operating model aimed at raising efficiency in the country’s fuel and energy sector and transferring Emirati expertise to international markets.
Burhan Al Hashemi, CEO of EMARAT, said the opening of the company’s first service station in Yerevan represents a new strategic milestone in its global expansion journey, reflecting the success of its business model built on long-term partnerships and the transfer of Emirati expertise to promising markets.
He said the expansion falls within EMARAT’s vision to strengthen its presence in global markets as a key pillar of its growth strategy, adding that the company continues, through this step, to transfer its global standards in fuel quality, operational excellence and customer experience to new markets, enhancing the added value its brand provides.
He expressed hope to expand EMARAT’s station network in Armenia in cooperation with partners, reinforcing the global spread of its brand and affirming its ability to deliver added value across different markets.
For his part, Edward Sukiasyan, Chairman of Cell Capital and shareholder in Mega Trade, said that choosing EMARAT as a strategic partner reflects the company’s well-established expertise in managing service stations according to the highest global standards. He expressed confidence that the partnership would help set new standards for Armenia’s energy sector and provide consumers with an integrated experience built on quality, efficiency and innovation.
The move comes amid continued growth in economic relations between the UAE and Armenia, and rising levels of non-oil bilateral trade in recent years, supporting the expansion of Emirati companies into promising markets and reinforcing the UAE’s economic diversification goals and investment presence on the international stage.
