Russia has banned imports of dairy products from Armenia amid trade restrictions
Starting July 27, Russia will ban the import of dairy products from Armenia. The Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance of the Russian Federation (Rosselkhoznadzor) attributed this to alleged violations discovered during inspections of Armenian dairy processing plants.
According to the Russian agency, inspections revealed that milk from infected livestock, as well as raw materials from countries outside the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), were allegedly used in production. Rosselkhoznadzor stated that the ban was imposed to prevent dangerous infections and unsafe dairy products from entering Russia.
Since late May, Russia has been steadily expanding the list of restrictions on imports of goods from Armenia. Over the past two months, the ban has been extended to include flowers, fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, potatoes, greens, strawberries, cherries, grapes, pears, quince, dried fruits, live fish, and alcohol. Moscow has also banned the transit of these products through its territory to other EAEU countries.
The restrictions began to be implemented on the eve of Armenia’s parliamentary elections, which took place on June 7. Following the victory of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s party—which advocates for the country’s further rapprochement with the European Union—the number of trade restrictions has increased significantly.
Pashinyan himself called the Russian bans politically motivated, while expressing hope that the issue could be resolved. He also stated that Armenia would redirect its exports to other markets.
Against this backdrop, the European Union announced financial support for Armenia to strengthen its economic resilience. In mid-June, Yerevan received the first tranche of aid in the amount of 34 million euros. According to European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, these funds are intended to help the country address pressing economic challenges and facilitate Armenian businesses’ entry into new markets, particularly in Europe.
Earlier, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pledged to allocate a total of 50 million euros to Armenia as part of an emergency financial aid package.
Source: The Moscow Times.
As a reminder, the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor) has asked the Iranian Plant Protection Organization to temporarily suspend the certification of flowers for export to Russia due to suspicions that Iranian products may be supplied under the guise of Armenian goods.
The EU has launched a new mission in Armenia to counter threats from Russia.
The Armenian Parliament has finally passed a law restricting the right to vote for citizens who have lived outside the country for an extended period.
