The Messenger, Georgia's English language daily, has an article written by M. Alkhazashvili, that takes a look at central Asia's wine wars."When the Russian anti-Georgian wine hysteria started a certain bureaucrat from Tajikistan suggested the idea that Tajik wine could replace Georgian wine on the Russian market. A similar type of statement was made by the head of the Armenian Association of Wine Producers Avak Arutunian.
Later the Tajik Ministry of Agriculture spread information that the person who made this statement of replacing Georgian wine in the Russian market did not work with them. The Tajik Foreign Affairs Ministry officially apologized to Georgia for this statement, highlighting that Tajikistan has only a friendly relationship with Georgia.
Arutunian however stated that Armenian wine could compete with Georgian average-price wines. According to him the Armenian government should stimulate Armenian wine producers by granting them long-term law interest credits, which should be used to organize advertising campaigns in Russia."
