Georgian wine cleared by Russian customs
MOSCOW. June 20 (Interfax) - The first batch of Georgian alcohol in years was cleared at Alabino customs post in the Moscow region on Thursday, Interfax was told at the Central Excise Customs.
"After the alcoholic products arrived at the temporary storage facility officials from the Federal Service for Consumers Rights (Rospotrebnadzor) conducted all due procedures to check the quality of the products. By now the customs clearance of the cargo has been completed, and the first declaration was issued for alcohol produced in Georgia," a customs official said.
Earlier head of Rospotrebnadzor, Russia's Chief Sanitation Doctor Gennady Onishchenko told Interfax that the first batch of Georgian wine would be cleared at a customs post in Moscow region on Thursday, June 20.
Georgian Borjomi mineral water has already returned to the Russian market.
Russia banned wine and mineral water deliveries from Georgia in 2006 over complaints about their quality. At the beginning of February this year Russia and Georgia worked out a mechanism of returning Georgian commodities to the Russian market which implied visits of Russian sanitation officials to Georgia and the registration commodities in Russia.
The first inspection of Georgian wine-makers and producers of mineral water was conducted at the end of February - the beginning of March, the second - on April 1-5.
Onishchenko told Interfax last Tuesday that the third team of Russian sanitation experts could be sent to Georgia in July to check the companies that intend to resume deliveries to Russia.
"Out of the 34 Georgian companies chosen for the third inspection documents have been received from 15," he said.
Rospotrebnadzor has permitted the delivery of over 100 types of Georgian wine and mineral water to Russia.