Russian official doesn't rule out speedy solution of cheese dispute with Ukraine
MOSCOW. April 16 (Interfax) - Ukrainian cheese may return to the Russian market without any further hindrances after producers remove the flaws identified by an inspection by the Russian Consumer Rights Protection Service (Rospotrebnadzor), head of the service Gennady Onishchenko has told Interfax.
"Now everything depends on the Ukrainian producers," he said.
He said that a Ukrainian government delegation will visit Moscow at the beginning of this week and discuss the cheese problem among others.
"We don't rule out that decisions will be made determining practical steps to normalize the situation," he said of the coming talks.
Previously, Ukraine's Minister of Economic Development and Trade Petro Poroshenko said that he intends to hold a meeting with Russian officials during his visit to Moscow on April 17 to sum up the results of this week's inspection of Ukrainian cheese-making companies.
Last week Rospotrebnadzor conducted the second inspection of facilities planning to deliver cheese to the Russian market.
"Shortcomings were identified in both technology and raw materials, such as breaches of the technology of cheese maturation. Nevertheless, we are satisfied with the mood in which they worked with us this time," Onishchenko said.
The second inspection checked Ukrainian facilities on April 10-12. The commission included experts from the Russian Dairy Industry Union.
On March 3 Onishchenko announced that Russian experts had completed the stage of documentary inspection of several Ukrainian companies delivering cheese to Russia. Rospotrebnadzor notified the Ukrainian side of its readiness to check the compliance of output to Russia requirements on location.