Talks about Georgian agricultural products’ return to Russian market
By Keti Arjevanidze
Thursday, April 4
Negotiations of the Georgian delegation to Russia and Russian experts in Georgia about the Georgian agricultural products’ return to the Russian market began on April 2. Russian experts in Georgia inspected the wine quality while the talks in Russia were about agricultural products.
According to the National Food Agency of Georgia the Russian market is open for Georgian agricultural products. The National Food Agency reports that the Georgian delegation’s visit to Moscow was successful and the Georgian and Russian sides reached an agreement. Zurab Chekurishvili, head of the National Food Agency led the delegation.
During the two-hour meeting, the Georgian side talked about the food safety state in Georgia and the Russian side introduced its requirements and regulations, which is currently operating in Russia. According to Chekurishvili and Sergei Dankvert, Head of the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance, a principal agreement has already been reached and now the Georgian and Russian experts are working on the technical regulations.
"Working on the technical regulations will soon be completed and Georgian products will enter into the Russian market,” Zurab Chekurishvili said, adding that the Russian side has only one requirement: Georgian exported products must meet the requirements of Russian legislation.
Russian experts’ opinion about Georgian wine and the country’s mineral water condition is not known yet. They are collecting information for Russia's chief sanitarian Gennady Onischenko, who will deliver a report later.
A six-member Russian delegation is divided into three groups and will stay in Georgia until April 5 studying the sanitary-hygienic conditions in 35 companies. This time, the Russian experts are in the Kakheti and Racha regions of Georgia. They have already carried out monitoring at over ten companies.
Georgian beer companies also expressed a desire to deliver products to the Russian market. Currently, the Georgian brewing company Lomisi expressed its wish to appear on Russian market and go under the Russian sanitarian inspection.
The representatives of Georgian companies hope that the inspection results will be positive and they will be able to export their product to Russia soon.
Russia banned the import of Georgian agricultural products in 2006. Since then, the first meeting was held between the Georgian and Russian sides, just two days ago, on April 2.