The Region in Brief

Armenia

Russia has suspended the supply of dairy products imported from Armenia as of April 5. Rosselkhoznadzor, Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance, said that there is a “risk of low-quality and unsafe products” entering Russia from Armenia. Rosselkhoznadzor made the announcement after it inspected two Armenian dairy producers. Armenia’s Food Safety Inspectorate said that the Russian inspection did not find “any problem threatening people’s lives and health. The ban on Armenian-produced dairy follows Armenia’s decision to ratify the founding treaty of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Russian authorities warned Armenia of the “extremely negative” consequences of ratifying the Rome Statute. The ICC has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin on allegations of deporting children from Ukraine to Russia. Russia has previously imposed bans on food imports to obtain political leverage over its trade partners.

Georgia