BRUSSELS, May 11: Russia has sent the European Union an unsatisfactory reply making no concessions towards ending a ban on meat imports from Poland, EU diplomats said on Friday, a week before a key EU-Russia summit.
The trade dispute is holding up talks on a new strategic partnership pact between Moscow and the 27-nation bloc covering cooperation on energy, trade, human rights and foreign policy.
“The reply from Russia is nowhere near enough,” said one diplomat of a letter from Russian Agriculture Minister Alexei Gordeyev received by the executive European Commission on Thursday.
“The letter restates the Russian position as expressed at the meeting in Cyprus,” a Commission spokesman said of a meeting last month between EU Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou and Gordeyev that failed to end the ban on Polish meat.
“The Commission will give its response in due course.”
Moscow banned imports of meat and other agricultural produce from its former communist neighbour 17 months ago, citing cases of fraud. Warsaw says the ban is politically motivated to punish an independent former satellite country.
The European Union has urged Moscow to set a date by next week's EU-Russia summit for ending the embargo, which prompted Poland to block the opening of talks on a new partnership.—Agencies
