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Tomatoes and cucumbers exported from Armenia cannot be Turkish, State Food safety Service (SFSS) of Armenian Agriculture Ministry said.

Russian media reported that other member states of the Eurasian Economic Union did not join the Russian sanctions imposed on Turkish products. Experts say that this situation may negatively impact relations with ally states in connection with sales of banned products on the Russian market.

Panorama.am learned from SFSS that under the Armenian law, Armenia’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry is the body that determines the country of origin for goods exported from Armenia. The Chamber also gives a certificate about the country of origin for a shipment.

According to data of SFSS, 1,270 tons of tomatoes and cucumbers were exported from Russia in January 2016. 0.6 tons of tomatoes and 0.2 tons of cucumbers were imported into Armenia from Turkey during the same period.

By comparison,  21 tons of tomatoes and 5 tons of cucumbers were imported from Turkey to Armenia in December 2015, while 440 tons of tomatoes and 302 tons of cucumbers were exported from Armenia to Russia.

“It follows from this that tomatoes and cucumbers exported from Armenia cannot be Turkish, “SFSS said adding that a lot greenhouses in Armenia grow tomatoes and cucumbers, which enables to satisfy the domestic demand and export vegetables to foreign markets.

Chairman of Informed and Protected Consumer NGO  Babken Pipoyan expressed concern earlier in an interview with Panorama.am that because of being unable to resist the temptation of money, some businessmen and officials  could transport Turkish products to the Russian market and present them there as Armenian ones. He urged the state bodies to exercise caution.