Russian Agriculture Minister Alexei Gordeyev said on Thursday, April 26, that resumption of talks on Polish-Russian trade dispute that has held up a key EU-Russia agreement depends on Warsaw.
"The start of the next phase of negotiations will depend on the Polish side and will take place when they are ready.... We have already put forward our proposals,"Â Gordeyev was quoted by the Interfax agency as saying.
Russia's veterinary service Rosselkhoznadzor and European experts "have again found that 20 percent of meat products ready to be exported to Russia did not correspond to the norms,"Â Gordeyev said.
Russia has banned Polish meat imports in late 2005 citing health concerns. After the ban was not lifted for a year, Poland has blocked the start of talks between the European Union and Russia on a new partnership agreement. Poland said Russia's meat ban is aimed at punishing the Warsaw government for supporting Ukraine's so-called Orange Revolution in 2004. Poland also charged Moscow's meat ban was a political move to make a rift between old and new EU states. Polish leadership demanded that Russia lift the ban and sign the European Energy Charter before the talks may progress.
EU officials have said they are hoping to resolve the trade dispute ahead of an EU-Russia summit on May 18 in the Russian city of Samara so as to launch negotiations on the new agreement then. -Source: http://www.mosnews.com
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