Georgian products on Russian market

The leader of the opposition party Free Georgia, Kakha Kukava, who recently returned from Russia made a statement claiming that the relevant Russian bodies have decided to return Georgian wines and mineral waters to their market. Kukava claimed that this was the result of his party’s activities. However he underlined that there were no discussions about the conditions for such a decision and whether this decision is connected with Moscow’s ambitions to join WTO. According to Kukava, this is a gesture of goodwill from the Russian side. They did not ask anything from the opposition, he said. Kukava also mentioned that in facilitating this decision, an important role was played by the Georgian Diaspora in Russia, in particular he mentioned the Georgian businessman active in Russia, Alexander Ebralidze, who is the President of the World Congress of the Georgian People. Kukava expressed his confidence that Georgian products will be appearing on the Russian market in just a couple of months. Georgian officials meanwhile say that they possess no information whatsoever about the decision of the Russian authorities to accept Georgian wines and mineral waters on their market. As for Russia’s WTO membership, Georgia has put forward a precondition – allowing Georgian customs and border protection officers at the official border between Georgia and Russia now controlled by the separatists at Psou River and Roki Tunnel.