Georgia to issue statement on Armenian alcohol exporters

YEREVAN, May 13. /ARKA/. Official Tbilisi will issue a statement on the issue of Armenian alcohol exporters. This was stated to journalists on Tuesday by Gayane Poghosyan, an export specialist at the Proshyan Brandy Factory, following a meeting with the Georgian Ambassador to Armenia. 

A group of alcohol producers held a protest action in front of the Georgian Embassy in Armenia on Tuesday. They wanted to find out why the alcoholic beverages they produce, mainly cognac, exported to Russia or the Baltic countries, are subject to examination in the transit country and are delayed for days and weeks. 

"The statement can be made within 10 minutes or two days. We hope that they will contact us and respond in a very short time. Otherwise, we will continue our peaceful actions, because this is a serious problem that requires a solution," Poghosyan said. 

In May, it was reported that Armenian companies exporting alcoholic beverages to Russia or the Baltics via Lars had been subjected to strange checks for the past month and a half. Garnik Danielyan, an MP from the opposition Armenia faction, told Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan that Armenian companies exporting alcoholic beverages were delivering their products with huge financial losses due to delays. Papoyan responded that he had discussed the issue with Georgian officials in Armenia and that an institutional solution needed to be found. 

According to Radio Azatutyun, as of May 7, about 30 trucks transporting alcohol were currently awaiting laboratory test results on the Georgian side in order to either deliver the goods to their final destination or return them back. -0-