YEREVAN, August 13. /TASS/. Russia and Armenia agreed to intensify food safety cooperation, the press service of the Armenian Economy Ministry reported.

The agreement was reached at a meeting between Armenian Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan and Russian Agriculture Minister Oksana Lut in Almaty.

"The sides discussed issues related to developing cooperation in the agro-industrial complex. They touched upon lifting current restrictions on product shipments by Armenian businesses to Russia and their transit through Russian territory to third countries, as well as applying additional control measures. An agreement was reached to step up cooperation between the Food Safety Inspection Body of Armenia and Rosselkhoznadzor (Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance - TASS)," the statement reads.

The parties also exchanged views on other topics of mutual interest.

Earlier, the press service of the Russian Agriculture Ministry reported that during the meeting, Lut stated that ensuring the safety of Armenian agricultural products--including the use of local raw materials by Armenian producers, pesticide controls, supply traceability, and other mandatory requirements - is a key condition for resuming shipments to Russia.

Previously, the Russian side restricted the import of an entire range of Armenian goods--from mineral water and alcoholic beverages to vegetables, fruits, and dairy products--due to identified safety violations.