ArmInfo.The Georgian Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture has denied media reports that Armenian agricultural products, specifically strawberries, are being shipped to Russia through the country under the guise of third-country goods.
According to Georgian News, the statement was prompted by a publication in an Armenian media outlet, which was also cited by other news outlets. The article claimed that after Russia imposed import restrictions on Armenian products, some producers began exporting strawberries through Georgia, disguising them as Turkish. According to the publication, this scheme is also allegedly used by certain greenhouse farms associated with the family of Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan. The Georgian ministry dismissed this information as untrue.
"The Ministry categorically rejects the information disseminated by an Armenian publication about changing the origin of Armenian products and importing them into the Russian Federation under the name of another neighboring country for the purpose of re-export," the statement reads.
The Ministry stated that such reports are "speculative," do not correspond to reality, and could damage economic relations between the two countries. The ministry also expressed concern that Georgia is being drawn into "such crude forms of political infighting in a neighboring country."
In recent months, Russia has imposed a number of restrictions on the import of certain types of Armenian products. The restrictions included shipments of alcoholic beverages, flowers, mineral water, fish, grapes, and stone fruits. Against this backdrop, Armenian authorities have announced their intention to seek alternative markets and to provide support for exporters facing restrictions on the Russian market.
