TBILISI, May 5 (RIA Novosti) - The president of NATO's Parliamentary Assembly said Friday he was deeply concerned about bans imposed by Russia on imports of Georgian goods.
Commenting on a decision by Russia's chief doctor Gennady Onishchenko Thursday to ban imports and sales of popular sparkling mineral water Borjomi, Pierre Lellouche told a news briefing in Tbilisi he was unhappy about what he called an economic boycott against the Caucasus country, that he said was alarming not only to Georgia but also to the whole of Europe.
The Russian move came six weeks after imports of Georgian wines were prohibited over concerns that they contained traces of pesticides and heavy metals. The ban was extended to cognac and champagne days later.
Lellouche cited former French president Charles de Gaulle as saying that Russia was a huge nation that could not be an enemy but a good friend, and that solution could be found through talks.
