Russia has more than doubled its imports of Georgian wine in the first two months of the year, only three years after lifting a ban on sales of the drink, Georgia’s National Wine Agency reports.
Moscow’s relations with Tbilisi were nearing an all-time low in 2006, when Georgia’s then-President Mikheil Saakashvili openly pursued NATO membership. In response, Russia slapped import sanctions on the former Soviet republic, banning sales of Georgian wine, mineral water and agricultural produce.
Saakashvili at the time said that Russia was trying to “strangle” Georgia’s economy, but the official reason given for the ban was that the …read more
Source: Newsweek
