Georgian mineral water, wine will return to Russian market after proof of quality – Onishchenko

Georgia’s mineral water may be allowed to return to the Russian market only after there is proof of its quality and safety, Federal Consumer Rights Oversight Service head Gennady Onishchenko told Interfax on Friday.

“The principle is the same: you can return after you prove quality is there,” said Onishchenko, who doubles as Russia’s chief epidemiologist.

The Georgian authorities have not yet come up with any initiatives and proposals on how they intend to improve the quality of their mineral water, he said. “The sole requirement is quality and safety. Nobody is working on it at the moment. Nobody has come up with any initiatives regarding the matter either officially or unofficially,” he said.

Onishchenko said his service would see to it that the banned Georgian mineral water is not sold on the Russian market. “Naturally, we will continue our monitoring. As far as I know, no instances of this product being sold in Russia have been reported recently. No deliveries of this water have been made,” the official said, adding that earlier shipments had been sent back or destroyed.

There are no grounds today to allow the sale of Georgian wine in Russia, Onishchenko said in an earlier interview. “It is not a matter of likes and dislikes. There is no quality. The Georgian authorities have no desire or will. On the contrary, they are probably aware of the fact that they are incapable of ensuring the quality of wine products,” he said.

In late March, Onishchenko’s service banned the sale in Russia of alcohol-containing products produced in Georgia and Moldova, saying they did not meet Russia’s quality and safety requirements. The export of Georgia’s mineral water was banned at the beginning of May.