Armenia says Jermuk mineral water meets standards despite Russian concerns

Armenia’s food safety chief said on Friday that inspections of Jermuk mineral water found no violations, pushing back against Russian claims of regulatory breaches.

“We carried out monitoring inside the country, conducted laboratory tests, and no violations were detected. That protocol has been sent,” Tigran Petrosyan, head of Armenia’s Food Safety Inspectorate, told a press briefing.

Petrosyan also addressed Russian concerns over other Armenian exports. He said samples from fish farms showed no diseases, while tomatoes were confirmed to be vaccinated against the quarantine pest cited in Russian reports. “The laboratory results showed antibodies, meaning it’s not the virus itself, but the immune response,” he explained.

On strawberries, Petrosyan acknowledged that Russian inspectors found thrips in one of several farms they visited. “Thrips are live insects. They may be present today, but pesticides can eliminate them tomorrow,” he said.