Georgia Moves to Reopen Russian Market for Wine, Water

The Georgian side is ready to invite Russia?s ?competent commission? to study the quality of Georgian wine and mineral water on the ground in Georgia to help pave the way for the reopening of the Russian market, the Georgian Foreign Ministry said on January 16.

A letter containing the proposal for Russia?s chief sanitary officer, Gennady Onishchenko, was handed over to the Russian ambassador in Tbilisi, Vyacheslav Kovalenko, who had been summoned to the Georgian Foreign Ministry. Onishchenko, whose agency formally banned the import of Georgian wine and mineral water last spring, called for talks on the issue with the Georgian side at the beginning of the month.

Russia cited health safety concerns behind its decision to ban Georgian imports, but Tbilisi maintains the move was politically-motivated in an attempt to apply economic pressure on Georgia.

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)