Russian Chief Sanitary Inspector on prospects of Georgian wine on Russian market

Georgian wine will return to the Russian market if it passes all necessary procedures for quality control, Chief Russian Sanitary Inspector, Genady Onishchenko said on Thursday. “Please, Moldovans returned. Undergoing usual procedure for admission to the market is needed,” he told journalists, adding that “loud and comic statements” can change nothing. “Presenting product and passing control measures are needed. After that deafening discrediting of the Georgian wine quality which happened in 2006, we will be even more attentive when checking them,” Onishchenko noted.

Russia’s top Sanitary Inspector said the Georgian side has not attempted to pass the procedures of admitting its wine products on the Russian market. “Certain circles of this national-territorial unit imagined that their star hour has come, that they caught God by his beard and they will probably be pushing around Russia’s national interests,” Onishchenko stated “instead of moving the dialogue in the professional direction, they are making all kinds of statements in terms of Russia’s WTO accession. This tone causes only a negative reaction,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Georgian winemakers have said they have received no official proposals on possible admission of Georgian wine on the Russian market. “Maybe they have contact with the state structures, but nobody has applied to us so far and neither have we,” Chairperson of the Georgian Wine Association, Tina Kezeli said. Giorgi Margvelashvili of Tbilgvino told Interpressnews news agency that Russian market is important for all enterprisers. “All of us are interested in resuming these trade relations. Restoring access to this huge market is crucial for Georgian winemakers,” adding that most of them are ready to pass quality control.