Russia will restrict imports of most food, seeds, flowers, wood and fertilizer from Armenia starting on Friday, less than a week after Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party secured a parliamentary majority in elections seen as a test of Yerevan’s pivot toward the West.
The federal agricultural safety agency Rosselkhoznadzor said the sweeping ban was issued in response to the “systematic detection” of pests in products imported from Armenia since May. It claimed that, in June alone, three separate cases of khapra beetle infestations were discovered in dried food shipments.
“The ban will remain in effect until a specific framework is developed to ensure the safety and traceability of shipped goods,” the agency said in a statement on Thursday, adding to an already long list of Armenian goods recently banned for import to Russia, including produce, flowers, mineral water and alcoholic products.
Freshly banned goods include fresh and dried fruits, fresh and chilled vegetables, grains, cereals, grain-derived products, coffee and cocoa beans. The embargo also covers live plants, fresh cut flowers, planting seeds and plants used for pharmaceuticals and perfumery.
In addition, the restrictions cover soil, peat, organic fertilizers, timber, lumber, wooden packaging, as well as insects, live pathogenic bacteria and viruses intended for research purposes.
