Russia, Turkey agree to lift mutual restrictions soon
By Kamila Aliyeva
Russia and Turkey expressed their desire at a meeting in Moscow to lift most mutual restrictions regarding agricultural product deliveries as soon as possible.
Moscow hosted talks between Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich and Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek on April 18, Sputnik International reported referring to the Russian government.
“The participants noted that there is a common desire to remove the maximum number of restrictions that currently exist, as soon as possible, it was also stressed that there is the common understanding that some sensitive issues require step-by-step work,” the statement said.
Simsek described the talks as productive.
“We had a very productive meeting in Moscow, we discussed all the problems,” Simsek wrote in his Twitter blog, following talks with Dvorkovich. “We'll meet again in May and quickly find a solution to all the issues.”
Dvorkovich, in turn, said that the Russian side, in any case, expects from the Turkish partners to lift the restrictions imposed this year on grain supplies.
Turkey from March 15 suspended the issuance of licenses for duty-free supplies of wheat, corn and sunflower meal from Russia. Earlier, Turkish importers and processors could carry out duty-free import of Russian products to Turkey on the basis of issued licenses for import of agricultural products in the "internal processing" mode.
Currently, a 130-percent duty is in effect on such Russian exports as wheat and corn, rice – 45 percent, sunflower oil – 36 percent, sunflower meal - 13.5 percent, and more than 9.5 percent - for legumes.
Meanwhile, Russia's food embargo on Turkey's food and agricultural products remains partly in place.
In early 2016, Russia imposed a number of restrictive measures, including a ban on food and flowers imports, on Turkey in response to the downing of a Russian military aircraft by a Turkish fighter jet in Syria on November 24, 2015.
Earlier, Russian Ministry of Agriculture described the duties imposed by Turkey on Russian imports as pressure and stated that it rejects such way of returning prohibited Turkish products to the Russian market.
The Moscow-Ankara relations began to improve after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan apologized over the jet incident. Russia lifted the flight ban, but the food ban has remained.
In October 2016, the Russian government decided to allow on its market a number of Turkish agricultural products, including citrus. The embargo was lifted in respect of fresh and dried oranges and tangerines, fresh apricots, peaches and nectarines, plums and thorns, which make up much of Turkey's fruit exports to Russia.
The country announced that it will keep the ban on Turkish frozen meat and poultry as well as tomatoes, cucumbers, grapes, apples, pears, strawberries and other fruit and vegetables.
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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva
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