20 Georgian wine and mineral water producers preparing to resume exports to Russia

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TBILISI. Jan 1 (Interfax) – Twenty Georgian companies producing wine and mineral water are preparing to resume the deliveries of their output to the Russian market, head of the Center for Georgian-Russian Economic Cooperation Giorgy Seturidze told the press summing up the results of a Monday meeting with representatives of these companies.

He said all technical questions related to the return to the Russian market have been practically settled, only the date of the beginning of deliveries remains to be defined. It will become known after direct contacts between official structures that are expected in the near future.

“For almost two years we have been working on the comeback of Georgian wines and mineral water to the Russian market. Now we have approached the stage when government bodies should get directly involved,” Seturidze said.

He said that the Russian market is advantageous for Georgia from many points of view, for instance, “because our brands are known there and there is no need to invest as much in their advertising and marketing as on other markets.”

He said that the Center for Georgian-Russian Economic Cooperation has already held consultations with the relevant Russian authorities. “The exports of Georgian wines and mineral water to Russia will begin immediately after all the necessary official procedures are completed,” he said.

Earlier reports said that special envoy of the Georgian prime minister for settling relations with Russia Zurab Abashidze will act as a mediator in the official talks with Russia on the return of Georgian wines to the Russian market.

Georgian Agriculture Minister David Kirvalidze said the talks will be held after the New Year holidays. “All wine companies have the same approach to the issue. They are ready to resume deliveries of their output to the Russian market without restricting exports to other markets,” he said.

Last week Russian Foreign Ministry representative Alexander Lukashevich said Moscow sees no obstacles to the return of Georgian wine and mineral water to the Russian market. He said that even though the Foreign Ministry does not directly deal with these issues Moscow hopes that conditions will be created in Russian-Georgian trade and economic ties when both Georgian wine and Borjomi mineral water will return to the Russian market. “It is quite good when the economy goes ahead of politics,” he said.

After that Russian chief sanitary official Gennady Onishchenko said that after New Year holidays he would be ready to meet Georgian producers of alcoholic drinks.

At a press conference on December 20 President Vladimir Putin promised that Russia would resume imports of wine and Borjomi from Georgia, if Russia’s commitments as a World Trade Organization member imply that.

Russia stopped importing Georgian wine and mineral water, pleading their supposedly poor quality, in 2006 when relations between the two countries soured.

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