Russia imposes ban on Azerbaijan tomato imports after war with Moscow's ally Armenia

In an attempt to target its Caspian neighbour's biggest export after hydrocarbons, Russia on Wednesday banned tomatoes from Azerbaijan. This decision came after 44-day war wd by South Caucasus state against Moscow ally Armenia. Speaking about this decision furr, Russia's agricultural goods- watchdog Rosselkhonznadzor said that country is considering broadening an earlier ban on tomato and pepper imports from parts of Turkey, which backed Azerbaijan military in offensive against majority-ethnic-Armenian Nagor-Karabakh region. 

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Russian bans tomato imports from Azerbaijan

Russia is one of world's largest importers of tomatoes on December 9 also halted imports of tomatoes and peppers from an American region bordering Turkey and a province in Uzbekistan. Russian regulator while speaking about latest ban cited safety concerns for all moves. Azerbaijan is kwn to send almost all its tomato exports to Russia. 

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recently imposed ban by Russia also covers Azeri apples. ban also aims to threaten efforts by government in Baku to diversify its ecomy away from oil and gas, which currently accounts for 90 per cent of all exports. This ban on tomatoes at first received public reaction from Baku. However, Russia's state-run RIA vosti news service cited an unnamed source in Azerbaijan's capital saying that this move was likely a technical mistake and would soon be reversed. 

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Earlier in 2015, Russia had banned Turkish tomato following Turkey's downing of a Russian fighter jet on border with Syria. However, Russian authorities had later lifted ban but kept a quota system limiting supplied from Turkey. Ever since this ban, Turkish producers have turned to or markets to sell ir produce. 

In last month, Russia had brokered a cease-fire under which Armenia lost control over all districts of Azerbaijan which it has captured in a 1990s war amid collapse of society Union. Since n, Kremlin has repeatedly and unsuccessfully urged a halt to hostilities since conflict which erupted on September 27. Turkish involvement in this incident has marked a setback for Russia, which has long regarded region as its traditional backyard.

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