TBILISI, January 23 (Itar-Tass) — Georgia’s delegation in Moscow will coordinate “the technical details of the return of Georgian products to the Russian market,” Minister of Agriculture David Kirvalidze said in Tbilisi on Tuesday. Commenting on the recent statement by head of Russia’s Federal Consumer Rights Protection and Human Health Control Service (Rospotrebnadzor) head Gennady Onishchenko about the willingness to meet with a delegation from Georgia on the resumption of the supply of wine and mineral water to Russia, Kirvalidze said that the statement “once again confirms that the political issue of the return of Georgian products to Russia has been removed, we have yet to consistent the technical details.”
According to the minister, “The rules of the game for all players on the Russian market should be equal.” “The market which we are going to enter sets its own conditions, they are outlined by Russia’s WTO membership and operating rules of the organisation,” added Kirvalidze. He said that the Georgian delegation, which will soon go to Moscow, will comprise representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, wineries, the Association of Exporters of Fruits and Vegetables, as well as the country’s phytosanitary service.
The date of departure and the exact membership of the Georgian delegation have not been disclosed yet, but Georgia says that “after the delegation members get the Russian entry visas, they are ready to go to Moscow.” According to preliminary data obtained from sources in the government of the country, “the delegations of Georgia and the Russian Federation are likely to hold a meeting in Moscow on February 4.”
Onishchenko said in Moscow on Monday that he is “ready to meet with the delegation of Georgia on January 28 or February 4.” “We must meet. We need to understand each other and work in this direction,” said the Rospotrebnadzor head.