MOSCOW, 19 June (BelTA) – The Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) has put off the talks to discuss the situation with Belarus' dairy supplies to Russia because of the ongoing consultations between the parties, BelTA learned from a source at the EEC.
The Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission was supposed to discuss the situation on 19 June. “The talks were postponed as the relevant consultations are still in progress,” the source said.
The EEC press service confirmed that the talks were rescheduled to take place at the next session of the EEC Board on 26 June.
The Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission had previously discussed the matter on 13 June upon the initiative of Belarus Economy Ministry. According to Director of the Agribusiness Policy Department of the Eurasian Economic Commission Stanislav Buben, all members of the Board agreed that the Russian food quality watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor had violated Eurasian Economic Union laws by introducing temporary restrictions on the import of several kinds of Belarusian dairy products on 6 June.
However, no decision was taken back then since the draft resolution prepared by the Domestic Markets Department of the Eurasian Economic Commission had a vague wording and did not fully meet Belarus' expectations. Sergei Sidorsky, Member of the Board (Minister) for Industry and Agribusiness Complex of the EEC, stated that the document needed adjustments. The minister suggested that the draft resolution should urge the Russian government to rescind Rosselkhoznadzor's unlawful import ban. The draft resolution should also stipulate that Rosselkhoznadzor must observe the Eurasian Economic Union Treaty and the EEC Council resolution specifying how authorized government agencies should act when temporary veterinary measures are to be introduced.
