Russia accuses Armenia of supplying counterfeit cognac
YEREVAN, July 15. /ARKA/. Russia has claimed that 85% of Armenian brandy samples supplied to the Russian market do not meet current standards, Forbes.ru reported, citing a study by the Union of Producers of Brandy, Spirits, and Alcoholic Beverages (Soyuzkoniak) in conjunction with the International Anti-Counterfeiting Association.
“We test many beverages from different countries. But more than half of our reports concern Armenian brandy,” explained Soyuzkoniak expert Andrei Tretyakov.
He said this was not surprising, since there are “very few Georgian brandies on Russian store shelves, even fewer, surprisingly, of our own production, and the vast majority are Armenian.”
'Seventy-one samples of brandy from the eight largest Armenian producers were studied, and in 50% of the samples (35 out of 71), the use of non-grape-based spirits was detected. Therefore, these products cannot be called cognac (brandy),' he said.
According to experts, the main flow of problematic products passes through Georgia.
The ARKA news agency requested a comment from the Armenian Food Safety Inspection Authority regarding these allegations.
“The information is currently being studied, and an appropriate response will be given,” the regulator's press service said.
According to the Armenian Ministry of Economy, between July 1 and 14, some 103 trucks loaded with bottled cognac (brandy) from Armenia crossed the Russian-Georgian border and entered Russia.
Recently, Armenian cognac exporters faced problems at the Georgian checkpoint Upper Lars due to spontaneous laboratory tests. They appealed to the Armenian authorities, international organizations, and partners abroad for help, asking them to urge the Georgian government to end this arbitrary blockade and lift restrictions hindering the transit of goods through its territory. The problem was resolved in early June. -0-
