Armenian and Georgian officials appear to have resolved a dispute over the export of Armenian brandy through Georgian territory. Since late April, Armenian cargo had been subjected to inspections in Georgia, effectively halting the transit of Armenian brandy.
The agreement was reached after a visit to Tbilisi on Monday by Armenian Economy Minister, Gevorg Papoyan, the Chair of the State Revenue Committee Eduard Hakobyan, and other officials.
They met with Georgian Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili, Agriculture Minister David Songulashvili, and the Head of the Georgian Revenue Service, Irakli Beraia.
It was the first high-level meeting after several aborted attempts aimed at finding a solution to the issue.
Following the meeting, Papoyan and Hakobyan separately announced in Facebook posts that as a result of the negotiations, the sides reached an agreement ‘to organise the export process of Armenian […] brandy from now on under mutually acceptable and predictable conditions’.
Papoyan noted that further details and the next steps would be ‘presented to the business community in a working procedure’.
The two sides also reached an agreement to release 55 lorries loaded with Armenian brandy that were being held at a customs terminal in Georgia’s Black Sea port of Poti. An additional 72 lorries are set to be released over the next seven days, followed by another 24.
‘At the same time, we have decided to ensure the unimpeded transit exit to Georgia of the vehicles loaded with Armenian-bottled [brandy]’ Hakobyan wrote.
Earlier, on 10 June, Armenia had blocked the passage of its lorries to Georgia, citing congestion at Georgian checkpoints..
The measure was taken five days after Papoyan announced that after being effectively obstructed for weeks, 52 lorries carrying Armenian brandy were allowed to cross the Georgian border into Russia. He also stated that Georgia had ‘promised’ to resolve any issues regarding 72 more lorries carrying brandy ‘within the next five days’.
Arshaluys Barseghyan
Over a week later, the Armenian State Revenue Committee announced that the issue had been ‘resolved’ — the release of lorries began on 18 June.
Earlier in June, Papoyan refrained from commenting on whether the issue had a political context, only saying that he intended to find a solution to the problem.
In response to the delays, Armenian brandy-producing and exporting companies staged two protests in front of the Georgian Embassy in Yerevan. The meetings at the embassy were fruitless, with the protesters stating that a consul at the embassy had suggested they ‘sue the Georgians in Georgia’.
Arshaluys Barseghyan
