Montenegro said Wednesday that a decision by Russia to ban imports from its biggest winemaker was politically motivated by the Balkan country's imminent accession to NATO.

According to state-owned wine producer Plantaze, Russian authorities have banned the import of its alcohol from Wednesday owing to sanitary failings -- accusations the company denied.

"It is clear that the decision is in the context of NATO membership," said Montenegro's Prime Minister Dusko Markovic.

He said Russian citizens had "lost an opportunity to consume the best wines" owing to the "irresponsible policy" of their authorities.

Montenegro is expected to become a member of NATO later this year and its parliament will meet on Friday to approve the accession.

Russia has expressed strong opposition to the move, describing Montenegro's membership of the Western military alliance as "deeply erroneous".

The 620,000 citizens of Montenegro, on the Adriatic Sea, are mostly Orthodox Slavs and Moscow has long considered the country to be in its sphere of influence.

Plantaze's manager Milan Milutinovic told reporters that 20 percent of its exports usually went to Russia -- adding up to 10 million bottles in the past five years -- meaning the ban would significantly damage sales.

"We export to 42 countries throughout the world, some of which have the strictest quality control, and we have never had such problems," Milutinovic said.

Montenegro's accession to NATO would reinforce the bloc's presence in the Balkans as Greece, Croatia and Albania are already members.

Tweet

'All on me:' US admiral takes blame in carrier to N.Korea fiasco
Washington (AFP) April 26, 2017
The US admiral who ordered an aircraft carrier and other warships toward the Korean Peninsula in a much-hyped deployment took responsibility Wednesday for any "confusion" after the ships sailed in the opposite direction. Amid soaring tensions ahead of North Korea's apparent ramping up for a sixth nuclear test, the US Navy on April 8 said it was directing a naval strike group headed by the US ... read more

Related Links
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only