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Putin expects Russian imports of Moldovan wine

Putin and Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat met in St. Petersburg on Tuesday to discuss bilateral trade, including that in agricultural products

ST. PETERSBURG, October 18 (Itar-Tass) —— Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin expects Moldovan wine imports.

Putin and Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat met in St. Petersburg on Tuesday to discuss bilateral trade, including that in agricultural products.

“We hope that our wine will reach the customers,” Filat said.

“Russians included,” Putin added.

“Russians in the first turn,” Filat said.

Putin asked whether the Moldovan delegation had brought some wine to St. Petersburg, and Filat said that the wine had already been presented.

“In addition to some good wine, we brought a bottle of good brandy made in 1946 – the year of birth of Patriarch Kirill. This is for you,” Filat told Putin. He said Moldova was suffering from severe drought conditions last summer but Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Kirill visited the republic and it started raining. The rain saved the grape harvest, Filat said.

While discussing other aspects of bilateral trade and economic cooperation, Filat recalled that the validity of the Russian-Moldovan gas treaty was expiring in the end of this year.

“We hope that the new agreement will be drafted by the middle of November. Three rounds of negotiations have been held. It is important for us to set a period of the agreement’s validity and conditions of gas supply and payments and all the technical terms. We will receive gas and the supplier will be paid,” Filat said.

He thanked Russia for assisting the resumption of the Transdniestrian settlement negotiations in the 5+2 format, which had been paused for six years.

Negotiations on the legal status of Transdniestria started in 1993. The negotiations in the 5+2 format were stopped in February 2006, and the direct dialog between Chisinau and Tiraspol resumed two years later with the assistance of Russia. The first meeting of then Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin and Transdniestrian leader Igor Smirnov took place in April 2008 after a seven-year break. The process was suspended again because of the political instability in Moldova.

Filat also dwelt on the bilateral humanitarian cooperation. The Days of Russian Culture were held in Moldova in September 2011, and the Days of Moldovan Culture will take place in Russia next year, he said.

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