Russia, Israel hope to sign free trade zone agreement soon
MOSCOW. Feb 12 (Interfax) - Russian and Israel expect to sign an agreement on a free trade area soon.
"The decisions that our leadership is making are aimed at the broadest expansion of cooperation between Russia and Israel in the field of agriculture: mutual supplies of farm produce, cooperation in the implementation of technologies and setting up joint production, and the outlook for creating a free trade zone, on which the government hopes to sign an agreement with Israel as quickly as possible," Deputy Agriculture Minister Sergei Levin told reporters following a meeting between Deputy Russian Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich and delegation of Israeli business people.
"We feel that the prospects for Russian-Israeli cooperation in the field of agriculture are very significant, and from the ministry, we will make every effort to do this," Levin said.
Israeli Agricultural and Rural Development Minister Uri Ariel also expressed the hope that an agreement on a free trade zone will be signed in the near future.
He said that for the continuation of talks, a ministry delegation plans to arrive in Russia. In addition, he said that Dvorkovich intends to make a visit to Israel.
Ariel said that his visit to Russia was aimed at "reviewing a number of issues that could give impulse to a further development of our relations, in particularly in agriculture." "For example, the training, the transfer of Israeli experience in agricultural technology to Russia, the increase of trade turnover, and possibly, the most important - the creation of a demonstration center of Israeli agricultural technologies on the territory of Moscow," Ariel said.
