Onischenko advised Kazakhstan to ban Georgian wines

Chief sanitary doctor of Russia Gennadiy Onischenko said that Kazakhstan and Belarus should ban sales of Georgian wines and mineral water, KTK reports. As per Onischenko, this is stipulated in the Customs Union rules. Representatives of Kazakhstan Ministry of Economic Development and Trade said that the Russian party did not make any claims yet. The ministry explained that a ban on import of any goods that is imposed in one of the Customs Union member-states does not mean that these goods should be automatically banned in other member-countries. Such issues have to be resolved via negotiations. At the same time, experts say that a ban on Georgian goods in Russia is not related to concerns over public health, but is politically motivated. The ban on import and sales of wines and mineral water from Georgia was implemented in Russia five years ago. As per Onischenko, the goods did not comply with sanitary-epidemiological requirements. Kazakhstan is currently second after Ukraine by the volume of wines and mineral water imported from Georgia.