Armenian Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan met with Russian Agriculture Minister Oksana Lut in Almaty and discussed further development of cooperation in the agro-industrial sector.
The sides addressed the removal of existing restrictions on supplies of Armenian products to Russia and their transit through Russian territory to other countries, as well as the introduction of additional control measures.
An agreement was reached to intensify cooperation between Armenia’s Food Safety Inspection Body and Russia’s Rosselkhoznadzor, the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance.
Papoyan stressed that constructive dialogue on existing issues and the search for mutually acceptable solutions are essential for further developing economic cooperation between the two countries.
The Russian Agriculture Ministry considers ensuring the safety of imported Armenian agro-industrial products and compliance with mandatory requirements to be conditions for restoring supplies to the Russian market. This is stated in the ministry’s announcement, Interfax reports.
“Ensuring the safety of agricultural products, including the use of their own raw materials by Armenian producers, pesticide controls, traceability of supplies and compliance with other mandatory requirements, is a crucial condition for resuming imports of goods that are currently subject to restrictions,” the Russian Agriculture Ministry said.
Lut cited the compliance of goods supplied to Russia with Eurasian Economic Union veterinary and phytosanitary standards as an unconditional priority.
The Russian side also stressed the need for strict compliance with existing regulations and the development of an action plan to ensure the safety of products being supplied.
Rosselkhoznadzor has imposed restrictions on several categories of goods. Supplies of flowers were banned from May 22, followed by fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, herbs and strawberries from May 30. From June 2, imports of stone fruits, including sour cherries, sweet cherries, apricots, plums, peaches and nectarines, as well as fresh grapes, were banned, while supplies of eggplants, potatoes and dried fruits were prohibited from June 3. From June 12, the ban was extended to imports of all products subject to quarantine phytosanitary control. In addition, certification of live fish and fish products intended for export to Russia was suspended from June 2, while imports of dairy products were restricted from July 27.
