MOSCOW, May 26. /TASS/. The Turkish delegation will hold talks with the Russian agriculture watchdog (Rosselkhoznadzor) on June 13 in Moscow, the parties will discuss veterinary and phytosanitary issues, the regulator said in a statement.
"According to the preliminary agreement, on June 13, on the first day of the visit, the Rosselkhoznadzor will hold talks with the Turkish party in Moscow to discuss the most relevant aspects cooperation in the field of veterinary and phytosanitary," the report said.
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After the meeting, the Turkish inspectors will inspect Russian meat production enterprises located in the Bryansk, Orenburg and Moscow regions.
Earlier, Russia’s Agriculture Minister Alexander Tkachev told TASS that lifting of the embargo on the supply of Turkish vegetables should be discussed simultaneously with the removal of restrictions on dairy and meat products from Russia.
On May 3, 2017, presidents of Russian and Turkey, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, agreed to cancel a range of restrictive measures on almost all positions, excluding tomatoes.
Imposing restrictions
Russia banned imports of bell pepper, pomegranates, aubergines, lettuce, Iceberg lettuce, marrows and pumpkins from Turkey due to phytosanitary considerations in spring 2016. Prior to that Russia restricted imports of oranges, tangerines, grapes, apples, pears, apricots, peaches and nectarines, plums, wild strawberries, strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, cauliflower, broccoli, yellow onions, as well as frozen turkey and chicken from Turkey starting January 1, according to the government decree on implementation of presidential decree on special economic measures against Turkey.
In October 2016, the Russian government approved the resolution allowing Turkey to supply mandarins, oranges, peaches and nectarines, apricots and plums to Russia.
In its turn, Turkey excluded Russia from the list of countries free of duties for imports of agricultural products starting March 15, 2017. Previously Russian exporters and their Turkish customers imported grain meant for processing and further export with zero duty, while they still had to pay a 130% duty in order to sell products locally.