Pursuing the trace of candies of Azerbaijani production in one of capital’s shops at “Aravot.am’s” request, the State Social Security Service (SSSS) did not find any such product. State Service for Food Safety has also announced: “Azerbaijani food is not imported into the Republic within State Social Security Service state border control framework.” That is, in the foodstuff passing across the SSSS border control and subject to check out, no Azerbaijani food has been present. If in Armenian shops products of Azerbaijani origin have appeared and SSSS has not checked on the border, it means either this product has been imported into the Republic of Armenia illegally, or the candies are intended for personal use and amount to the extent permitted by law, which SSSS, in case of this product, should not check pursuant to law.
Representatives of State Revenue Committee informed “Aravot.am” that SRC has undertaken the detection of this issue. Let us remind you, that the State Revenue committee had explained that Azerbaijani goods are not banned from selling in Armenia after the revelation of Azerbaijani apples in Armenian market. Now the issue is how these candies have appeared in Armenian market and whether they have been imported illegally or have been brought for personal usage.
“Informed and Protected Consumer” NGO president Babken Pipoyan, referring to the issue of the candies of Azerbaijani origin, informed that it is theoretically possible they were imported for personal usage within the defined limits: “If the extent is more than the defined limits, then we deal with an issue both of border control and further on. If anyone has brought them for personal usage, but it is sold in the shop, then we should apply to not the State Revenue Committee, but the authorized body of food chain control, inasmuch as goods having Armenian labels and complying with the requirements stipulated by “Law on Food Safety” should also be in the sales network. And if it has been brought for personal usage, then it should have not appeared in the shop. And therefore, here not the SRC has to deal with it, but the State Service for Food Safety.”
To our view implying that SSSS assures that the service has not revealed and checked Azerbaijani candies during border control and that this means that product has not entered Armenia through customs point and legally, i.e. by clearance, Pipoyan responded: “This is why it is an issue where we do not need to find anyone to blame for, forasmuch as it is not excluded that it was bought for personal use. But another issue emerges: I do not know why the issue is always discovered in the result of the public control. And, in essence, the authorized bodies respond to public complaints in case they do not have anything to do and not in case they have something to do, because day by day the issue of the chicken with antibiotics discovered in the market is being discussed, the anti-competitive body revealed fake foodstuff, which continues selling until today. And the State Social Security Service enters the public field, the platform of discussions when it has no job.”
Nelly BABAYAN
