Armenian brandy still being shipped to Russia, but problems with taking it across border persist - Armenian economy minister
YEREVAN. Oct 5 (Interfax) - Armenian Economy Minister Vahan Kerobyan has denied that some problems with exports of Armenian brandy to Russia might have been related to politics.
"I wouldn't say that there is a political context. Don't ask me about the Rome Statute [of the International Criminal Court]. I am not a Rome Statute specialist," Kerobyan told journalists on Thursday.
Trucks continue to ship alcohol from Armenia to Russia, he said.
"Not all of them, but several dozens of automobiles loaded with alcohol products passed through yesterday. It's important to make sure that alcohol produced in Armenia is of high quality, and we started the relevant process some time ago to make sure that alcohol exported from Armenia is of high quality. Currently, we're expecting the results of laboratory tests," Kerobyan said.
On October 3, Kerobyan said that carriers transporting cargo from Armenia to Russia were experiencing problems from Russian checks of Armenian brandy quality.
"Armenian cargo has been stranded at the Verkhny Lars checkpoint [on the Russian-Georgian border]. We have problems," Kerobyan told the Armenian Aysor.am news website.
Earlier, trade attache of the Armenian embassy to Russia Vahan Hakobyan told the Armenian state-run news agency Armenpress that over 60 trucks carrying brandy had amassed on the Russian border waiting for quality checks to be completed.
On October 3, the Armenian parliament ratified the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Previously, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Armenia would ratify the Rome Statute as it wanted the ICC to investigate the Azerbaijani Armed Forces' attacks on Armenia in May 2021 and September 2022.
The Kremlin said that Moscow would have new questions for Yerevan in the wake of Armenia's ratification of the Rome Statute.
"Definitely, we'll have additional questions for the incumbent Armenian leadership, they were communicated to the Armenian side in advance," Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov told journalists.
In March, an ICC pre-trial chamber issued arrest warrants for Russia's President Vladimir Putin and children's right commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova. Moscow dismissed the court's decision as void and unlawful, and placed the judge and the prosecutor who were involved in the decision-making process on Russia's wanted list.