Lithuania shouldn't get hysterical over "dairy issue" - Onishchenko
MOSCOW. Oct 8 (Interfax) - The Russian health and consumer rights oversight service Rospotrebnadzor said that it is prepared to deal with its Lithuanian colleagues in any format, including in court.
"We will accept any format for contact. Or we could start discussions immediately in a businesslike manner to understand what is going on, and come to terms, and discuss [Lithuanian dairy products'] return. Or shall we act formally and turn to the WTO, to WTO courts. We are ready to do that, but this will drag on for years," Rospotrebnadzor chief Gennady Onishchenko said on Rossiya 24 television on Tuesday.
"The amount of Lithuanian dairy products arriving in Russia is statically small - 1% of the entire amount of milk consumed in this country," Onishchenko said.
Lithuania must cherish and value the Russian market, instead of "becoming hysterical and making hasty and loud statements," Onishchenko said.
He said that after Lithuanian dairy product imports were banned, attempts were made to attach political motive to this issue. "Declarations were made and some started making pathetic statements about the moral aspect [of this issue]. That was done by people who, in my opinion, should have exercised control over [the products'] quality," he said.
Lithuanian officials claimed that Europe has no questions about their products, Onishchenko continued. "But the European economy practices the so-called split approach, which it deems normal. This means that Lithuania can make products of one kind of quality for Russia and of a different quality for Europe," Onishchenko said.
