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Moldova's Agriculture Minister to negotiate wine export resumption in Moscow

Vasile Bumacov will hold talks with Head of the Russian Federal Service for Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare Gennady Onishchenko

CHISINAU, September 20 (Itar-Tass) - Moldova’s Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Vasile Bumacov is flying to Moscow on Friday for talks with Head of the Russian Federal Service for Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare (Rospotrebnadzor) Gennady Onishchenko on the resumption of wine exports to the Russian market, press secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture of Moldova Constantin Rotaru told Itar-Tass on Thursday.

“The minister, who is today in Spain on a visit, will fly to Moscow on Friday, where he will meet with Gennady Onishchenko. The negotiations will focus on ensure the quality of alcoholic beverages necessary for the resumption of supplies of Moldova’s wine to the Russian market. The problems that have caused limiting of the supplies of Moldovan wine to Russia will also be discussed,” said Rotaru.

Onishchenko had earlier banned the import to Russia of a number of batches of Moldovan wine that contained harmful substances. Bumacov said for his part that Moldovan winemakers were ready to comply with all the requirements of Rospotrebnadzor to continue the export of alcohol to Russia.

In spring of 2006, Russia had introduced an embargo on the supplies of wine products from Moldova to Russia, where Moldovan winemakers controlled nearly one-third of the market. In autumn of the same year, the two countries’ presidents reached an agreement to lift the sanctions on the condition of the organization of additional quality control of Moldovan wines by Rospotrebnadzor inspectors in Moldova. By 2008, Moldovan wines returned to Russian stores, but they had “regained” only 4-5% of the Russian market.

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