Vladimir Voronin: Moldova not to allow inspection of wines by Rospotrebnadzor

The Russian sanitary service Rospotrebnadzor will no longer have access to Moldova. "Our country is not a colony to allow the inspection of the Moldovan enterprises," President Vladimir Voronin said on the TV channel.

The head of state specified that Moldova is a member of the World Trade Organisation, and Russia intends to join this structure. In this respect, the president stressed that both sides should observe the rules stipulated by the organisation.

Referring to the alleged irregularities unearthed by Rospotrebnadzor as a result of the controls which have been recently carried out at Moldovan wineries, Voronin said that the Russian inspectors invented these infringements. The head of state suggested to Rospotrebnadzor to made the concerned controls at the enterprises producing alcoholic drinks from Russia.

The president said that Russian sanitary service Rospotrebnadzor, for instance, does not go to France or Italy to verify the quality of the wines, and therefore neither the Moldovan wineries should be inspected. The president emphasized that not Rospotrebnadzor should check the quality of wines in Moldova, but the Russian importers wishing to buy Moldovan wine.

Vladimir Voronin said that Moldova now exports wines to 54 countries, including European Union member states.

In March 2006, Russia banned the imports of Moldovan wines, stating the reason for it that the wines would allegedly be of bad quality. On 8-13 August 2007, Rospotrebnadzor representatives made verifications at 24 out of 173 Moldovan wine companies. The Russian side has not made public the outcomes of the inspections.