This article is published as part of a partnership with OC Media. You can read the original in English here.
Russia will ban imports of Armenian dairy products starting July 27, citing the alleged presence of “milk from infected livestock.” The move is the latest in a series of restrictions on Armenian imports that are widely viewed as politically motivated.
Widespread restrictions began in the run-up to the June parliamentary elections in Armenia, in which the Kremlin clearly hoped for the defeat of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party. Import bans continued after the election victory of Pashinyan’s party and expanded into other sectors, while the EU and the Armenian government attempted to cushion the impact through export diversification.
The dairy ban was announced on July 24 by Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor).
Rosselkhoznadzor also stated that Armenia “lacks a system for verifying the origin and safety of milk or other raw dairy materials used in production,” and that Armenia generally “does not monitor agricultural producers.”
Russia had previously banned imports of a wide range of Armenian goods, including alcohol, flowers, fruits, vegetables, mineral water, fish, and other products.
While Russia continues to impose new restrictions, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk claimed that Russia “had introduced no restrictions at all on Armenian imports,” describing the situation as “routine, normal work.”
Other Russian officials stated that Armenian products on the Russian market would be replaced with Azerbaijani goods.
