The Russian food safety body “Rospotrebnadzor” announced that so far this year Russia imported 13 consignments of alcoholic beverages from the Transnistrian region and is now examining the request of the Bashkan of Gagauzia to allow five companies from the region to export wine products to the Russian market.
Contacted by IPN, Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Vasile Bumacov said the Moldovan authorities weren’t informed about the decisions of the Russian food safety body. They will see what arguments the Bashkan invoked to convince the Russian side to consider the possibility of resuming wine imports and why the results of the Chisinau laboratories are not convincing.
Russia stopped importing Moldovan wine last September. By the end of last year, the Moldovan wine producers sustained losses of US$10 million owing to this decision. Analysts said the ban imposed by Russia represents pressure exerted on Moldova in order to prevent it from associating itself with the EU.
