First vegetable imports from EU may be permitted on Friday - Onishchenko
MOSCOW. June 24 (Interfax) - The Russian sanitation authority may give permission to customs by the end of the day for the importation of the first batches of vegetables from the European Union, Russia's Chief Sanitary Official Gennady Onishchenko has said.
"So far we are studying the question. No permits have been given yet," he said at a Friday press conference in Moscow.
However, he said that this may be done "by the end of the day."
"We may give corresponding guidelines to the Belarusian customs as well. Because we now have the Customs Union and we allow cargoes coming to Russia across the Belarusian border. This applies to vegetables among others," Onishchenko said.
"In the meantime I can tell you with full responsibility that not a single batch of vegetables from Europe has entered the customs territory, our national territory," he said.