Russian media have reported that a large amount of Armenian brandy, as well as a batch of Armenian strawberries, have failed to meet Russian standards. Armenian authorities have stated they have not received any official documentation from Russian authorities regarding these claims. 

On Wednesday, the Russian Mash Telegram channel reported that the ‘dangerous pesticide tebuconazole’ was found in a four-ton batch of strawberries exported from Armenia to Russia.

The batch was selected for testing on 21 August, during which 0.152 mg/kg of tebuconazole were found, according to the channel, which added that there was no standardised indicator, but that ‘its presence in products is already considered unsafe’. 

The channel also noted that a previous batch of strawberries from Armenia was tested on 16 August, and that an excessive amount of the pesticide bupirimate was found.

Armenia’s food safety inspection body told local media that they had not received any official notification from Russian authorities.

The reports come as relations between Russia and Armenia continue to plummet, with Armenia instead courting closer ties with the West.

Russia has previously been accused of using food healthy standards as a way to exert economic pressure on other countries.

In February, Armenian mineral water producer Jermuk was sanctioned in Russia after a man reportedly died as a result of drinking a bottle of Jermuk mineral water containing ‘vinegar’ in Vladikavkaz. The Jermuk Group stated that its mineral water does not ‘burn the oesophagus’ and that its products do not contain vinegar.

Russia banned imports of Georgian wines and Borjomi mineral water in 2006 as tensions between the Kremlin and then–Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili rose. Russia lifted the ban in 2013, soon after Saakashvili lost power.

Armenian brandy under review

In between the strawberry inspections, on 20 August, Russian state media claimed that 89% of Armenian brandy sold in Russia was counterfeit, being made up of ‘non-grape alcohols’.

Russian news agency TASS cited a joint study by the international association ‘Anti-Counterfeit’ and the Union of Cognac, Spirit, and Alcohol Producers of Russia, who found that a ‘significant portion of tested samples of Armenian brandy do not meet established standards’.

The study examined 200 samples of brandy from over 20 brands produced by 10 of the largest Armenian producers, noting that only 23 samples were found to be fully compliant with Russian standards. 

According to TASS, following the study’s results, the Anti-Counterfeit association sent appeals to Russian authorities, including the Prosecutor General's Office, with a request to take measures for additional control over imported alcoholic products from Armenia. 

The association also claimed that counterfeit alcoholic products imported from Armenia create conditions for unfair competition and price dumping, and warned against the ‘survival of Russian producers’ if such a trend continued.

On the same day, in an interview with Public TV, Armenia’s Minister of Economy, Gevorg Papoyan, stated that the Ministry of Economy had not received any official documentation on the matter.

However, Papoyan ‘simply rule[d] out such a thing’ calling the high percentage of brandy cited as counterfeit ‘nonsense’, considering the number of grapes Armenia stocks up annually.

Currently, Armenia does not have an isotope laboratory, and instead Armenian brandy exported to Russia undergo isotopic testing there. However, Papoyan recently told media that they would try to build such a laboratory in Armenia, emphasising that if it was not built, Armenian producers would be required to test their products in European laboratories.

In his statements to the press, Papoyan noted that such a move might garner a negative reaction from Russia, given their own testing procedures. However, he stated that now, following these accusations, Armenia ‘can take that step much more boldly.’ 

Statements by Russian authorities regarding violations in imported goods is considered to be a common way for Russia to put pressure on Armenia, considering its high economic dependence. 

[Read more: Russia blocks Armenian goods over ‘sanitary concerns’]

According to Fip.am, an Armenian fact-checking platform, both organisations involved in the study have ties with the Russian government.

The founder of the international association ‘Anti-Counterfeit’, Aslambek Aslakhanov, was a Major General in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, a member of the State Duma, and an adviser to the President of the Russian Federation, 

Furthermore, both companies are headed by Vladislav Reznik, a member of parliament from the ruling United Russia party.

The director of the National Distillers League, Erkin Tuzmukhamedov, told the Russian news outlet Kommersant that the study had a political pretext. 

He suggested that both Russia and Armenia were already aware of the problem, stating that Armenia had long been required to provide carbon analysis data to Russia, which has shown the presence of non-grape alcohol in their products. 

‘It's just that now is a good time to step on this sore spot, that's all,’ Tuzmukhamedov said, though he suggested it was likely a coincidence that the study was shared during Putin’s visit to Baku. 

‘But, in general, the signal is clear, obvious. For the Armenian economy, for business, this is a very sensitive blow, because about 90% of all Armenian cognac [brandy]  goes to Russia.’

The president of the National Wine Center of Armenia, Avag Harutyunyan, also saw political motivations behind the study, and criticised the Armenian government in an interview with RFE/RL for not being able to make the brandy companies follow standard regulations when exporting.

‘In other words, if you behave like a little brother, if you do not make other demands, if you obey, your brandy, wine, etc. are of very high quality. If you suddenly do the opposite, your alcohol represents a potential danger for my country, a problem of national security,’ Harutyunyan said.

In July, Armenia noted that violations were detected in the batches of fruits and vegetables exported to Russia from April-June, and decided to temporarily limit the supply of commodities produced by 16 Armenian companies. 

Prior to this, in March, Russia revealed violations in the supply of red caviar from Armenia, and a decision was made to introduce temporary restrictions on caviar supplies from this enterprise.

Read in Russian on Jnews.