Install

Get the latest updates as we post them — right on your browser

Today's paper. Last Updated: 02/08/2012

Moldovan Wine Faces Import Restrictions Amid Political Feud

A senior Russian official announced Wednesday that regulations on Moldovan wine imports might be tightened over safety concerns — just days after Chisinau angered Moscow by introducing a “Day of Soviet Occupation."

Gennady Onishchenko, head of the Federal Consumer Protection Service, said tighter control might include canceling plans to open new border checkpoints for wine imports.

He linked the move to his agency's declaration Tuesday that a check had found that large quantities of Moldovan red wine were substandard.

The agency said in a statement that the discovery necessitated “additional measures to tighten control.”

Onishchenko said the possible wine crackdown was not linked to the Day of Soviet Occupation, Ekho Moskvy radio reported.

Moldovan acting President Mihai Ghimpu signed a decree last week naming June 28 a national mourning day over the Soviet Union's annexation of Moldova in 1940. The decree also demanded the withdrawal of Russian troops from Moldova's breakaway Transdnestr province.

The State Duma on Wednesday unanimously approved a resolution that condemned the Day of Soviet Occupation, calling it a "planned political campaign against Russian-Moldovan cooperation" and a "direct attempt to distort historical facts."

The resolution echoed a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry on Monday.

But Ghimpu told Ekho Moskvy on Wednesday that Moldovan lawmakers never discussed Russian laws and decrees, and that Duma deputies had no right to criticize those in Moldova.

Moldova kept strong ties with Russia after regaining independence in 1991 but has tried to execute a foreign policy turn toward the European Union after Ghimpu came to power last year.

In April, the Federal Consumer Protection Service promised to tighten oversight of “substandard” Moldovan wine imports after Ghimpu refused to attend the Victory Day parade on Red Square.

Russia banned Moldovan and Georgian wine imports in 2006, citing customer safety, but began to ease regulations for Moldova the following year.




Tags

Moldova Federal Consumer Protection Service Transdnestr wine



Also in News

Lavrov in Syria to Strongly Back Assad

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus on Tuesday, sending a clear message that Russia intends to stand by its strongest ally in the Middle East amid an international outcry over the country's response to a civil revolt.

Campaign Mudslinging Taken to New Lows

If politics is a dirty business, then Russia is no exception.

Putin Stand-In Faces Zhirinovsky Fire

In Tuesday's second presidential debate of the campaign season, firebrand Vladimir Zhirinovsky harangued Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's levelheaded proxy over her patron's refusal to debate and alleged desire to rule for life.

Pro-Putin Song Is Web Hit

A schmaltzy music video hailing Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as Russia's savior became a hit on the Russian Internet on Tuesday, with many bloggers and YouTube users poking fun at the song's hyperbolic lyrics.

Criminal Probe of Magnitsky, Hermitage Concluded

Interior Ministry investigators have wrapped up the case against lawyer Sergei Magnitsky and his employer, Hermitage Capital CEO William Browder.

FSB Upgrades from iPads to Pricey Typewriters

The Federal Security Service paid over 2 million rubles ($67,000) for an order of nearly 100 typewriters, or about 22,000 rubles per machine.




Discussion
The Moscow Times welcomes your comments and invites you to discuss topics with other readers. Your comment will be posted automatically to enable a live discussion. If you aren't familiar with our comments policy, you can read it here.

If you're a registered user, you can start typing your comment below. If not, take a moment to sign up. and then return to the article.

If your comment doesn't appear, contact us by using our web form.

Comments

Comments via Facebook

print


Comments

This article has no comments.

Be the first to leave a comment





Most Read