Russia Has Not Banned Exports from Armenia, Minister Says

The Armenian food safety inspection body must ensure that no food products are exported to Russia that violate sanitary norms. This was stated by Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan to reporters after a government meeting, responding to questions about whether Russia has imposed a ban on the import of fruits and vegetables from Armenia.

“There is no such thing. In some cases, issues were identified with certain companies, and those companies were not allowed to export, but that does not mean a ban on Armenia. There are hundreds of companies that are exporting, the process continues, and unfortunately, there are also companies facing such issues,” Papoyan noted.

He emphasized that the food safety agency needs to work more actively to prevent such problems or their recurrence in the future.

Earlier, Rosselkhoznadzor reported violations of phytosanitary norms in the products of 16 Armenian companies and suggested that the Armenian food safety inspection body temporarily suspend their supplies to Russia until the investigation is concluded. Negotiations on addressing these violations have been initiated by the head of Armenia's food inspection, Armen Hayrapetyan, and Sergey Dankvert, the head of Rosselkhoznadzor.