No formal clarification from Georgia on brandy shipment issues

PanARMENIAN.Net - Yerevan has not received any formal explanation from the Georgian side regarding the issues surrounding the transit of Armenian brandy. This was reported by Armenia’s Ministry of Economy, according to RFE/RL.

Although Georgia serves as a transit country, it began inspecting Armenian alcoholic beverages crossing its border and destined for the Russian market at the end of April. According to alcohol producers, these inspections have lasted for months, resulting in Armenian products losing access to the Russian market and causing financial losses for companies.

When asked whether these inspections will continue at Georgian customs and whether delays will persist, the Ministry stated that “essentially, no formal inspections have taken place, so it’s difficult to predict whether they will recur or not.”

It remains unclear from the response whether the inspections were illegal or if the authorities have simply failed to obtain answers over the past few months. The Ministry also noted that around 30 trucks carrying alcohol have already crossed into Russia, while several dozen more are still waiting their turn at the Lars checkpoint. Efforts are underway to facilitate the movement of the remaining vehicles.

Recently, the Georgian Minister of Agriculture canceled his planned visit to Yerevan, during which discussions on the export of Armenian beverages through Georgian territory were expected. Armenia’s Ministry of Economy reported that the Georgian side had contacted Minister Gevorg Papoyan personally to apologize and cited a busy schedule as the reason.