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Lithuania in no hurry to complain to WTO, EU over Russia’s dairy products import ban

VILNIUS, October 7 (Itar-Tass) - For now Lithuania has no intention to appeal to the World Trade Organisation or the European Union for assistance in the wake of Russia’s ban on the import of Lithuanian dairy products, Lithuanian Minister of Agriculture Vigilijus Jukna told journalists on Monday.

“We have not received any official documents confirming the ban, therefore, we have no reason yet to seek assistance from international organisations,” Jukna said. Lithuania constantly monitors the incoming information, both official and unofficial, but it sees no need to hurry until the situation is clarified. “A dialogue is required to find a solution,” he added.

The head of Russia’s Federal Consumer Rights Protection and Human Health Control Service (Rospotrebnadzor), chief sanitary doctor Gennady Onishchenko told Itar-Tass earlier that Russia had imposed a ban on the import of Lithuanian dairy products starting from October 7, 2013, due to non-compliance with quality requirements. The documents were signed on October 6 and forwarded to the territorial bodies of the Federal Customs Service (FCS). An FCS spokesman told Itar-Tass on Monday the FCS had received an official message from the consumer rights watchdog banning the import of dairy products from Lithuania.

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